China in a Decade: New concept spurs greater development, and a new era unleashes stronger dynamic (part II)

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has embarked on an irreversible historical track. Under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as its core, people of all ethnic groups in China united in their struggle and forged ahead, achieving on schedule the goal of building a moderately prosperous society, and opening a bright prospect for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

V. Strong momentum of green development, and harmonious coexistence between human and nature

In 2021, the average proportion of days with good air quality in cities at the prefecture level and above hit 87.5%, 6.3 percentage points higher than in 2015; the average concentration of PM2.5 reached 30 microgram per cubic meter, down 34.8%; soil conditions were improved in general, and the safe utilization rate of contaminated arable land nationwide exceeded 90% in 2021. In 2021, the share of clean energy such as natural gas, hydro, nuclear and wind power in China’s total energy production reached 26.4%, 11.1 percentage points higher than in 2012; clean energy consumption accounted for 25.5% of China’s total, 11.0 percentage points higher than in 2012. Great results were achieved for energy conservation and consumption reduction in 2021, energy consumption per unit of GDP reduced by 26.4% cumulatively compared to 2012, with an average annual drop of 3.3%. From 2013 to 2021, a total of 59.44 million hectares were afforested nationwide, and in 2021, the national forest coverage hit 23.04%, an increase of 1.41 percentage points against the level indicated by the Eighth National Forest Survey (2009-2013). As of end 2021, the urban sewage and domestic waste disposal rates hit 97.5% and 99.9% respectively, 10.2 and 15.1 percentage points higher than in the end of 2012; As of end 2021, the national penetration rate of rural sanitary toilet exceeded 70%, and the proportion of villages where domestic waste is disposed remained stable at over 90%.