China unveils plan to upgrade eco-environmental monitoring system

China unveiled a plan to build a modernized ecological environment monitoring system on Wednesday, setting targets for data quality, network integration, and technological upgrades through 2030.

Jointly unveiled by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the National Development and Reform Commission, the plan outlines the overall requirements, targets, key tasks, and major projects for the 2026–30 period.

The plan calls for ensuring monitoring data meets higher standards of being "true, accurate, comprehensive, fast, and new" to strengthen the foundation for promoting the Beautiful China initiative.

The plan envisions significant progress in building a modernized monitoring system by 2030.

As of the time, a sky-space-ground-sea integrated monitoring network will be put in place, featuring systematic operation and digital-intelligent upgrades for the national network, alongside coordinated planning and seamless interconnection between central and local networks, it notes.

It says the country aims to essentially build up its early warning monitoring capabilities for emerging pollutants, heavy metals, and ecological issues by the end of the decade.

Breakthroughs are expected in key monitoring technologies, with mainstream equipment largely brought under independent development and control, it says.

The plan includes a series of specific targets for 2030.

For instance, it aims to increase the effective rate of automatic monitoring data at national monitoring stations from 95 percent in 2025 to 98 percent and lift the country's remote sensing monitoring capacity for human activities in important ecological spaces from 150,000 square kilometers per month in 2025 to 1 million square kilometers per month.

By 2030, the country aims to achieve 70 percent coverage in both intelligent operation and maintenance and intelligent analytical testing for key indicators.