The Ministry of Environmental Protection said recently the monthly average concentration of PM2.5 airborne particles in Beijing in October dropped by 32.1 percent year-on-year, among the 17 cities that saw a decrease in PM2.5 levels compared with the same period a year ago.
The official data showed that Beijing's PM2.5 levels have stayed lower than 60 micrograms per cubic meter for seven months consecutively, reaching the all-time best since the data was tracked.
Beijing's surrounding areas also reported improvement in air quality in October as Baoding and Shijiazhuang saw the average concentration of PM2.5 decrease by 34.4 percent and 31 percent respectively.
The environment minister Li Ganjie said on Nov. 21 that Beijing is still under pressure to achieve its annual target of brining PM2.5 levels down to less than 60 micrograms per cubic meter.
The year 2017 marks the end of the first stage for the implementation of China's "Atmospheric Pollution Prevention Action Plan," which covers Beijing, Tianjin and 26 other northern cities in the smog-plagued provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Henan and Shanxi.