Tap water coverage in China's rural areas had reached 90 percent in 2023, up 3 percentage points from the end of 2022, Minister of Water Resources Li Guoying said on Thursday.

This means China has realized its tap water coverage goal in rural areas two years earlier than planned. The country had aimed to secure access to tap water for 88 percent of rural residents by 2025, according to the Ministry of Water Resources.

Large-scale water supply projects covered 60 percent of China's rural population in 2023, data from the ministry showed. The coverage of such projects stood at 56 percent in rural areas in 2022.

In 2024, China will promote high-quality development of rural water supply, and tap water coverage in rural areas is expected to reach 92 percent this year, said Li.

A total of 23,000 water supply projects kicked off in China's rural areas in 2023, benefiting 110 million rural residents, data from the ministry revealed.