Page 24 - REPORT ON THE WORK OF THE GOVERNMENT

compensation for ecological conservation was improved.
Forest coverage has risen to 24 percent, fractional vegetation coverage on

grasslands has surpassed 50 percent, and over 50 percent of all wetlands are now
under protection. The area of land affected by soil erosion, desertification, and
sandification was reduced by 106,000 square kilometers, 38,000 square kilometers,
and 33,000 square kilometers, respectively. More and more, our people now enjoy

blue skies, clear waters, and lush mountains.
We made steady progress in energy conservation and carbon reduction. We
both ensured a stable and secure energy supply and promoted green and
low-carbon development. We worked toward the targets of peak carbon emissions

and carbon neutrality with well-conceived and systematic steps.
The energy mix was further improved. Coal-fired generators with a total
capacity of over 1.05 billion kilowatts achieved ultra-low emissions. Installed
capacity of renewable power increased from 650 million kilowatts to more than 1.2
billion kilowatts. The share of clean energy in total energy consumption increased

from 20.8 percent to over 25 percent.
We made an all-embracing push to promote resource conservation, developed
green sectors and a circular economy, and encouraged R&D and application of
energy-saving and environmental protection technologies and products. The

carbon absorption capacity of our ecosystems was enhanced. Financial support for
green development was scaled up. Improvements were made to performance
evaluations for energy consumption targets.
Internationally, China played an active part in cooperation on addressing

climate change, contributing its part to global climate governance.
9. We took concrete steps to ensure and improve the people’s wellbeing and
accelerated the development of social programs.
Acting on a people-centered philosophy of development, we continued to

increase inputs in areas important to people’s wellbeing, meet people’s basic needs,
provide a cushion for those most in need, and promote social fairness. We
delivered higher-quality public services, ensured more equitable access to basic
public services, and continued to improve the wellbeing of our people through
development.

We developed more equitable and higher-quality education. Education is
pivotal to the enduring prosperity of a country. We kept annual budgetary
spending on education at over 4 percent of GDP and realized a significant increase

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