The average temperature in China in 2021 was 10.7 degrees Celsius, one degree higher than usual and the highest in the last 60 years, said the Chinese state news agency Xinhua, quoted by Lusa.

The Asian country experienced "more extreme" and "more intense" weather events last year, government spokesman Song Shanyun indicated, citing data from the China Meteorological Administration.

In addition, the average annual rainfall was 671.3 millimeters, an increase of 6.8% over recent years, especially in northern China.

China also experienced an average of 12 days classified as hot in 2021, the highest average in 60 years, according to weather officials.

More than 300 people have died following the floods in the central province of Henan, one of the extreme weather events recorded in the summer of last year.

At the time, an expert from the Chinese Meteorological Center Song Lianchun considered that "we cannot say that an extreme weather event is directly caused by climate change, but in the long run, global warming causes an increase in the intensity and frequency of such events."