A nurse takes care of a newborn baby at a hospital in Taizhou, in China's eastern Jiangsu province, on May 12, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP)

BEIJING - China's maternal and infant mortality rates both dropped to historic lows in 2022, the National Health Commission announced at a press conference on Wednesday.

China reported a maternal mortality rate of 15.7 per 100,000 in 2022, according to figures from the commission.

The mortality rates of infants and children under 5 decreased to 4.9 per 1,000 and 6.8 per 1,000, respectively, both dropping to record lows.

These figures signal notable progress in the protection of the health rights and interests of women and children in China

These figures signal notable progress in the protection of the health rights and interests of women and children in China, the commission said.

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China has been committed to advancing the Healthy China Initiative, with a focus on enhancing maternal and child health, said Song Li, head of the commission's department of maternal and child health.

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The country has pledged to reduce the maternal mortality rate to under 12 per 100,000, and the mortality rate of children under 5 to less than 6 per 1,000 by 2030, Song added.