BEIJING — China has seen significant improvement in the quality and stability of its ecosystem since 2012 amid the country's efforts on environmental governance, Minister of Ecology and Environment Huang Runqiu has said.

Huang, also the Chinese executive vice-chairperson of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development, made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the council's 2022 annual general meeting.

In 2021, China's average PM2.5 density, a key indicator of air pollution, dropped to 30 micrograms per cubic meter in cities at and above the prefecture-level, with the density of both PM2.5 and ozone falling for two consecutive years, Huang said.

The water quality in the main stream of the Yangtze River has also reached Class II or better (Class I to III refers to good quality) for two consecutive years, while no Class V (low-quality) water was detected in rivers entering the Bohai Sea during the same period, he added.

China will unswervingly follow a high-quality development path that gives priority to ecology, green and low-carbon development, Huang said, adding that the country will coordinate pollution control, ecological protection, and climate change response.

He said that China will implement a 10-year plan for major biodiversity conservation projects, and play an important role in global environmental governance.

Founded in 1992 as a high-level international advisory body, the council has witnessed and taken part in China's shifts in development philosophy and model. It has also built a bridge between China and the international community on environment and development.