The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) announced in Beijing Sunday
evening that China's gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 7.3
percent to reach 9.85 trillion yuan (US$1.19 trillion) in 2001.
Zhu Zhixin, director of the NBS, told a press conference that the
domestic economy maintained a healthy and sustainable growth in
2001.
Preliminary figures showed that despite a reduction in grain
acreage and severe natural disasters in some regions, the country's
grain output is expected to surpass 450 million tons this year and
the yields of cotton and sugar will increase more than 10 percent.
The output of meat and aquatic products also saw steady growth.
In
the same time, the acreage of quality wheat increased over 1.3
million hectares, while quality rice accounted for more than 50
percent of the total grain acreage.
During January-November, industrial production surged 10 percent
year-on-year, and the profits of industrial enterprises reached
406.9 billion yuan (US$49.2 billion), up 7.4 percent over the same
period of last year.
The reform of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) has achieved progress
this year, with 13 of the 14 key industries getting out of the red
to make profits, Zhu said.
China also further reduced redundant production capacity in such
primary industries as coal mining, metallurgy, construction
materials and power generation. In the same time, the hi-tech
industry saw a fast growth this year.
During January-November, the output of electronic and
telecommunication products, such as microwave communication
equipment, optical telecommunication equipment, mobile telephones
and personal computers, registered growth rates ranging from 20
percent to 130 percent respectively.
Figures showed that retail sales totaled 3.356 trillion yuan
(US$405.97 billion) in the first 11 months of this year, up 10.1
percent. The growth rate was 0.3 percentage points faster than in
the same period of last year.
Meanwhile, the consumer price index (CPI) rose 0.8 percent
nationwide over the same period of last year. The CPI in urban
areas increased 0.8 percent, while the CPI in rural areas grew 0.9
percent.
The prices of food, products and services for entertainment,
education and culture, and housing jumped this year. The prices of
primary products saw a slow rise, but the factory price of
industrial products was 1.1 percent lower than last year. The
prices for raw materials, fuel and energy went up 0.1 percent.
According to the NBS, the average disposable income per capita of
urban residents grew 8.2 percent in real terms in 2001, 1.8
percentage points higher than last year, while the average net
income per capita for rural residents increased 4.0 percent in real
terms, 1.9 percentage points higher than last year.
NBS figures indicated that bank savings of Chinese residents
registered a remarkable increase. By the end of November, savings
deposit totaled 7.23 trillion yuan (US$847.59 billion), 801.9
billion yuan (US$97 billion) more than at the beginning of this
year.
(China
Daily December 31, 2001)