BEIJING -- China's ecological and environmental quality maintained the trend of improvement in 2022, with the annual targets successfully achieved, an environment official said Monday.

Last year, China's air quality was stable and the quality of surface water continued to improve, Jiang Huohua, an official with the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, told a press conference.

The quality of seawater under China's jurisdiction, the environmental conditions of soil, the urban acoustic environment and ecological conditions were generally stable in 2022, according to a report released by the ministry.

In the same period, the quality of inshore seawater generally improved, with the proportion of areas with relatively good quality standing at 81.9 percent, up 0.6 percentage points year on year.

Noting the arduous task of ecological and environmental protection in China, Jiang said more efforts should be made to intensify the battle against pollution and consolidate the momentum of improving environmental quality.