China won't relax ecological, environmental protection

China will not relax its ecological and environmental protection in the next five years, Minister of Ecology and Environment Huang Runqiu said on May 25.

"In the 14th five-year plan period, we will continue to improve ecological and environmental quality by reducing pollutant emissions, and vigorously promote ecological protection and restoration," he said on the sidelines of the annual session of the national legislature.

China should further adjust the industrial structure, advance the transformation toward low-carbon development, promote green lifestyle, and provide the public with more eco-friendly products, he said.

Ecological and environmental protection goals set for the 13th five-year plan period (2016-2020) are being accomplished in a smooth manner, Huang said, adding that seven of nine binding targets set for evaluating the protection work have been achieved, such as the emission control of major pollutants.

By the end of 2019, the average concentration of PM2.5, a major particle matter pollutant, in cities that previously did not meet air quality standards dropped 23.1 percent from the level of 2015, he said.