The elderly warm up before excercise in Beijing's Fengtai District. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

BEIJING, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- The average life expectancy of Beijing residents reached 82.2 years in 2018, higher than the 2017 figure of 82.15 years, according to Beijing municipal health commission on Thursday.

The infant mortality rate was 2.01 per 1,000, said the commission, adding that both figures of average life expectancy and infant mortality rate were on par with high-income countries.

An elderly perform folk art in Beijing's Taoranting Park. (Xinhua/Luo Xiaoguang)

The commission cited enhanced efforts on emergency response, smoking control and public health facilities in rural areas as the reasons for the improved health indicators.

In 2018, Beijing set up 20 new emergency response stations and cut an average of 2 minutes in emergency response time.

The city also built 194 new clinics in rural areas last year, and made efforts to ensure medical services are more accessible to residents in remote areas.

China has seen a rising life expectancy for its people over the years. The average life expectancy of Chinese people increased to 76.7 years in 2017 from 74.8 years in 2010. Enditem