BEIJING — China's sci-tech progress has promoted healthy and high-quality living for people in various areas, including food and energy security, over the past decade, an official said on June 6.

The country has about 1.05 billion mu (70 million hectares) of arid and semi-arid land and about 1.55 billion mu of saline-alkali land, one third or one quarter of which can be turned into arable land through sci-tech transformation, said Minister of Science and Technology Wang Zhigang at a press conference.

He explained that China has independently developed new varieties of wheat, corn and vegetables over the past decade, and the seeds and land across the country have adapted to each other, which has further ensured food security.

China has long used coal as its main energy source, Wang said, adding that some sci-tech achievements, such as ultra-supercritical power generation, turning carbon dioxide into starch for industrial use and turning coal into olefin, have contributed to reducing carbon emissions over the past decade.

The achievements have made domestic energy use more secure, more efficient and more environmentally friendly, he added.

Wang said that sci-tech progress helped curb the COVID-19 epidemic both rapidly and accurately.

China used science-based methods to successfully isolate strains and develop testing reagents and vaccines against COVID-19, and to formulate tailored diagnosis and treatment plans, which built a solid wall of sci-tech defense to protect people's lives and health.

Wang added that the country's sci-tech progress has contributed to boosting poverty alleviation and rural revitalization. To solve the imbalance and inadequacy between urban-rural and regional development, some developed cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, used sci-tech methods to help undeveloped areas in China.