A mix of strong environmental protection efforts across the country over the past five years has helped China reduce air and water pollution below the country's targeted goals.

The emissions of four major air and water pollutants was reduced by between 3 percent and 10.9 percent year-on-year in 2015, the Ministry of Environmental Protection announced on Tuesday.

Additionally, more than 1.26 million vehicles registered before 2005 were forced off the roads because of excessive exhaust emissions, about 100,000 more than the target.