A synergistic approach to air pollution control and carbon neutrality in China can avoid millions of premature deaths annually by 2060

China has made significant progress in alleviating air pollution since 2013, but the annual mean fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentration remains six times higher than current World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Since greenhouse gases and air pollutants are often co-emitted, a synergistic approach to climate mitigation and clean air action may deliver considerable health benefits. However, the extent of such benefits and how they vary across time and regions remain unclear. Here, we use an integrated modeling framework to investigate the health effects of co-implementing air pollution and climate policies in China between 2020 and 2060. We find that, together, air pollution control and carbon-neutrality policies can prevent 2.62 (95% confidence interval CI: 2.12, 3.15) million premature deaths annually in 2060. End-of-pipe air pollution controls are key to reducing deaths in the short term (2020–2030), while carbon-neutrality policies become dominant in the long term (2030–2060). Our results highlight strengthened health benefits via coordinated implementation of clean air and climate policies in China.