BEIJING — Air quality in Chinese cities continued to see improvement in the first half of 2019 as government efforts to increase environmental protection were strengthened, according to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE).

For 337 cities monitored by the ministry, the share of average good air quality days stood at 80.1 percent in H1, up 0.4 percentage points year-on-year, MEE data showed on July 8.

The average PM2.5 density, a key indicator of air pollution, decreased by 2.4 percent year-on-year to 40 micrograms per cubic meter over the period, while the average density of PM10 and sulfur dioxide fell 4.2 percent and 14.3 percent, respectively.

Haikou, Lhasa and Shenzhen continued to rank top three on the list of 168 cities’ air quality from Jan-June while cities in the provinces of Hebei, Shanxi and Henan lagged behind.

Over the same period, the average PM2.5 density in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and the neighboring region rose 4.8 percent from 2018 while the average in the Yangtze River Delta fell 4.1 percent.

The air quality improvement was reported as China has intensified efforts to fight pollution and environmental degradation.

The ministry said on July 8 that a new round of environmental inspection will soon be launched, with inspectors expected to be sent to six province-level regions as well as two centrally administered State-owned enterprises.