(ECNS) -- China recorded improvements in both air and water quality in the first seven months of 2026, with average PM2.5 concentrations falling 6.2% year on year, Minister of Ecology and Environment Huang Runqiu said Thursday.

The average concentration of fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, fell by 1.8 micrograms per cubic meter from a year earlier, while the proportion of days with good air quality increased by 3.9 percentage points, Huang said at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office. 

The proportion of surface-water monitoring sections meeting Grade I-III water quality standards reached 86.5%, up 2.4 percentage points year on year. Water quality in the main streams of the Yangtze and Yellow rivers remained at Grade II.

(By Helen Mo, intern Yang Hongran)