Abstract: Since the ‘establishment of a national park system’ was first proposed at the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in 2013, China has entered a new phase of comprehensively promoting to establish a system for protected areas with national parks as the mainstay. The effective conservation and management of PAs is a fundamental component of biodiversity conservation strategy and a key task in achieving the ‘3030’ target outlined in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. This study systematically reviews the development of China´s PA system centered on national parks over the past decade since the reform of the national park system was launched, dividing the process into three time periods: pilot exploration in national parks (2013-2016), clarification of development direction (2017-2020), and accelerated construction (after 2021). China´s efforts to build its PA system have led to a series of innovative measures and experiences, including: achieving policy mainstreaming through comprehensive spatial planning, exploring diverse funding channels with increasing central and local financial input, and addressing overlapping and fragmented management issues through the integration and optimization of PAs. These efforts aim to achieve multiple benefits, such as biodiversity conservation, enhanced ecosystem services, climate change mitigation, and sustainable development. The study also analyzes progress and gaps in relation to the ‘3030’ target, focusing on four key aspects: area proportion, representativeness, effectiveness, and sustainability. Lastly, it offers the following recommendations for China and other countries to promote implementation and progress towards the ‘3030’ target: (1) systematic conservation efforts across PAs, ecological protection red lines, and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs), with particular focus on marine protection; (2) enhancing representation and connectivity of PAs for important species and habitats; (3) improving technical assessment systems for conservation effectiveness across all PA levels and types, and establishing regular assessment mechanisms; (4) strengthening research on sustainability indicators to account for the multiple benefits of PAs in addressing various social challenges; and (5) exploring diversified funding mechanisms, conducting pilot practices and cost-benefit analysis.