On Sept. 22 the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) said it completed a
five-year national assessment of ecological protection redlines. Major
ecological-security and strategic regions — including the Yangtze Economic Belt,
Yellow River Basin, Qinghai‑Tibet Plateau, Qinling, coastal zones, Jing‑Jin‑Ji,
Yangtze River Delta and the Guangdong‑Hong Kong‑Macao Greater Bay Area — showed
improving environmental trends. Redline areas remained stable, ecosystem-service
functions overall strengthened, and key indicators — water conservation,
biodiversity protection and vegetation cover — rose. Water and air quality
continued to improve, no major ecological-destruction events or sudden
environmental incidents occurred, and the redline institutional framework has
been put into effect.