China's ecology sees historic turning point: official

BEIJING, May 12 (Xinhua) -- China's ecological environment has witnessed a historic turning point over the past decade, an official said Thursday.

"We have seen fewer hazy days and black and smelly water bodies, and have enjoyed bluer skies and more lucid waters and lush mountains," Han Wenxiu, a senior official with the Central Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs, said at a press conference.

China's artificial afforestation has accounted for about a quarter of the world's total, and its CO2 emissions per unit of the gross domestic product have dropped about 34 percent, Han said.

The country has also topped the globe in installed capacity of wind and photovoltaic power and other green energy, and in the production and sales of new energy vehicles, Han said.

As a faithful advocate of the Paris Agreement, China has announced targets of peaking CO2 emissions before 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality before 2060, Han said.