The Beijing Environment Protection Bureau is reporting PM2.5 levels in Beijing-proper and surrounding areas through the first half of the year have declined by some 15-percent.[Photo: gb.cri.cn]

A new set of figures have confirmed the air quality in and around Beijing so far this year has been improving.

The Beijing Environment Protection Bureau is reporting PM2.5 levels in Beijing-proper through the first half of the year have declined by some 15-percent.

Surrounding areas, including Tianjin, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Shanxi, Shandong and Henan have also seen PM2.5 levels drop more than 15-percent so far this year.

Chen Tian, head of the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau, says even more needs to be done.

"The priority is to improve our atmospheric environmental quality of the region as a whole. We are targeting the sources of pollution. But at the same time, we also need to change our energy production structure, our industrial structure and people's lifestyles in the region."

The same analysis shows Beijing saw 88 days of good air quality through the first 6-months.

This is 9-more than the same period last year.

A reduction of overall emissions, as well as more favorable weather conditions and a push toward more clean energy production are being cited as the main factors behind the better air-quality figures.