Chinese capital has achieved air pollution de-pollution targets, but current policy comes up against stagnation in quality indices
After meeting its 5-year environmental goals, Beijing is implementing stricter regulations on heavy industries and the disposal of used electric vehicle batteries as progress in combating air pollution begins to stall, the country’s top environment official told lawmakers.
China’s structural environmental pressures remain deeply rooted and the country’s push for a greener economy requires intensified efforts, the official added.
Presenting the report on the completion of environmental targets for 2025 to the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, Minister of Ecology and Environment Huang Runqiu stated that atmospheric governance has entered a critical and uncertain phase. In 2026, Beijing will draw up its 15th Five-Year Plan for the ecological and environmental sector, which will include a new round of plans to continuously improve air quality.
During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, which covered the last half decade, the average concentration of PM2.5 in Chinese cities at or above prefectural level fell by 20%, according to the report. The proportion of days with good to excellent air quality exceeded strategic goals by 1.8 percentage points.
The proportion of cross-sections of surface water bodies with Class I to III water quality increased by 8 percentage points. Emissions of nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, chemical oxygen demand and ammonia nitrogen fell by 17.8%, 12.1%, 8.0% and 29.9%, respectively, compared to 2020 levels — all meeting the government’s initial objectives.
When analyzing major industrial upgrades carried out over the past 5 years, the report noted that the country has completed complete modernization of ultra-low emission processes for 940 million tonnes of crude steel, 470 million tonnes of cement clinker and 360 million tonnes of coking capacity.
By 2025, the clean transportation rate in key sectors and regions has reached 83%, with a 173% increase in national sales of new energy-powered heavy-duty trucks over the previous year. There have also been advances in zoning control and the comprehensive use of agricultural waste burning.
Regarding water pollution, authorities inspected 491,000 river discharge points and 66,000 sea discharge points. The government encouraged industrial parks along the Yangtze River Economic Belt and Yellow River provinces to solve more than 4,000 water pollution problems.
Rural sewage treatment rates reached 55%, double the 2020 figures. Dark, smelly bodies of water in cities and large rural areas have largely been eliminated.
To prevent soil pollution, China has initiated 124 major source control projects and identified the first batch of chemical plants to be relocated within 1 kilometer of the Yangtze River.
Authorities have made progress in remediating groundwater pollution in 399 chemical parks. In the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, shallow and deep groundwater levels have recovered by 3.76 meters and 7.65 meters respectively compared with 2020.
Regulatory bodies also released an action plan for the comprehensive management of solid waste, launching operations to combat illegal disposal that led to the processing of 34.6 million tons of waste.
Inspections for environmental hazards related to heavy metals have resulted in pollution control at more than 1,800 tailings dams along the Yangtze River and nearly 400 in the Yellow River basin. The government published its third batch of priority chemical controls and expanded pilot programs targeting new, emerging pollutants.
Boosting its green transition, Beijing has implemented policies to promote the integration of renewable energy and strictly restricted high-energy consumption and high-emissions projects.
After announcing its national climate change targets for 2035, the government expanded the national carbon emissions trading market to include the steel, cement and aluminum smelting sectors. The Chinese government has issued 13 national standards for calculating the carbon footprint and published an action plan for the development of green manufacturing, covering until 2027.
During the same period, legislators worked to codify environmental standards—helping draft an environmental code, promoting a national parks law, and amending the environmental protection tax law. Regulatory bodies also carried out the third round of central ecological inspections.
“While recognizing our achievements, we also clearly recognize that the current structural, deep-seated and trend pressures on our country’s environmental protection have not yet been fundamentally alleviated, and building a beautiful China still requires accelerated efforts.”disse Huang.
China’s resource and environmental constraints remain severe, and adjustments in the energy structure are colliding with continued growth in consumption, leaving high energy consumption and high emissions characteristics prevalent throughout the economy, he said.
Continuous improvement of environmental quality is becoming more difficult, Huang added. As air pollution control deepens, the potential for traditional end-of-process emissions reductions is diminishing.
Aquatic ecosystems remain out of balance, while soil pollution prevention faces strong pressure from diffuse sources of agricultural pollution. The country continues to combat frequent extreme weather events, instances of illegal solid waste disposal, and a weak environmental workforce.
Looking ahead, the report states that China will use its carbon peak and neutrality targets to drive a comprehensive green transition, placing greater emphasis on targeted management of pollution sources rather than simple damage control.
In 2026, the drafting of the 15th Five-Year Plan will establish broad national targets for PM2.5 concentrations, high-quality water ratios and emissions reductions. The government will implement improvements in air pollution control in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, launch a targeted campaign in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, and promote high-quality technological adaptations.
Authorities will continue to treat major river tributaries and small bodies of water, expand inspections of underwater outfalls, and aggressively combat agricultural runoff.
Supervision of solid waste disposal will be intensified, with regulatory bodies strengthening environmental supervision over dismantled electronics and obsolete equipment from the “3 new” industries — specifically electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries and solar cells.
Finally, China hopes to complete its 5th national ecological survey, completely reform environmental impact assessments, and strengthen the national carbon market by introducing a combination of free and paid quotas. Beijing also reaffirmed its intention to lead and actively participate in global environmental and climate governance.
This report was originally in English by Caixin Global on April 30, 2026. It was translated and republished by Poder360 under mutual content sharing agreement.
