{"id":60127683,"date":"2026-04-13T17:56:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T16:56:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/?p=60127683"},"modified":"2026-04-21T17:41:04","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T16:41:04","slug":"chinas-air-pollution-control-enters-deep-water-phase","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/pollution\/chinas-air-pollution-control-enters-deep-water-phase\/","title":{"rendered":"China\u2019s air pollution control enters ‘deep water’ phase"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

China’s new national air quality standards set<\/a> in March by the environment ministry require annual fine particulate matter (PM2.5) limits to fall from 35 to 30 micrograms per cubic metre (\u03bcg\/m\u00b3) by 2030, and further to 25 \u03bcg\/m3 after 2030.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Average PM2.5 concentration stood at 28 \u00b5g\/m\u00b3<\/a> in 2025, within the current national standard of 35 \u00b5g\/m\u00b3, but still six times higher than the World Health Organisation\u2019s guideline<\/a>. The revised standards nonetheless bring China closer to international benchmarks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2021-2025, China achieved double-digit PM2.5 reductions nationwide and even larger declines in key northern regions. Yet the central task has shifted from cutting pollution quickly to sustaining improvements. The main emerging challenges are volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, mainly from cars and industry, as well as increased coal use in the chemicals industry and widening regional disparities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With air pollution control now entering what policymakers describe as the \u201cdeep water<\/a>\u201d stage, further progress will depend less on rapid, large-scale conventional reductions and more on structural changes. This particularly means electrifying heavy industry and the transport sector, supported by a growth in clean power generation and a reduction in coal consumption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did China fare on its 2025 air quality targets?<\/strong><\/span>
\n
Indicator<\/strong><\/th>Target(s)<\/strong><\/th>Outcome<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
PM2.5 reduction (national)
<\/td>		At least 10% reduction from 2020<\/td>Achieved
<\/strong>National average PM2.5 fell 21.1%, from 33.9 \u03bcg\/m\u00b3 to 28.0 \u03bcg\/m\u00b3.<\/td><\/tr>
Heavy and severe pollution days
<\/td>		Less than 1%<\/td>Achieved
<\/strong>Provincial average share fell to 0.9%.<\/td><\/tr>
NO\u2093 and VOCs emissions
<\/td>		At least 10% reduction from 2020<\/td>Partially achieved
<\/strong>NO\u2093 fell 13% (to 8.87 million tonnes), while VOCs rose 7.9% (to 6.58 million tonnes) in 2024<\/a>.<\/td><\/tr>
Key regional PM2.5 reductions<\/td>\u2022 Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei: 20% reduction
\u2022 Fen-Wei Plain: 15% reduction
\u2022 Yangtze River Delta: Meet national standard
\u2022 Beijing: Keep PM2.5 below 32 \u03bcg\/m\u00b3<\/td>		Bettered
<\/strong>\u2022 Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei: 36.7% reduction
\u2022 Fen-Wei Plain: 42.4% reduction
\u2022 Yangtze River Delta: reached 31.7 \u03bcg\/m\u00b3, meeting national standard
\u2022 Beijing reached 27 \u03bcg\/m\u00b3<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Data source: Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air analysis based on the annual report on the state of the ecology and environment released by the Ministry of Environment and Ecology. <\/div>
\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

PM2.5 reductions were closely linked to a combination of economic restructuring and rapid clean-energy deployment, rather than to air-pollution controls alone. China\u2019s real-estate sector entered a prolonged downturn, translating into sustained declines in construction-related industrial output. In 2025, production of crude steel, cement and flat glass fell<\/a> by 4.4%, 6.9% and 3.0% respectively, cutting emissions from some of China\u2019s most pollution-intensive sectors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, fossil-fuel power generation declined by 1% in 2025 due to the rapid growth in clean energy, leading to further reductions in air pollutant emissions from the power sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The achievements are commendable, but greater challenges lie ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pollution fell structurally but unevenly<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Beijing and Shanxi (part of the Fen-Wei Plain) recorded the strongest air quality improvements in both the short and long term. But elsewhere progress has been less even.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2020, the provinces with the highest absolute PM2.5 concentrations were largely in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, Xinjiang and other parts of the east coast. Since then, however, the pollution pattern has shifted west and south.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PM2.5 levels have risen across parts of central and western China, and pollution rebounded in north-eastern China, Xinjiang and parts of the south. Several southern inland provinces have also moved into the top ten.<\/p>\n\n\n\n