The bird flu epidemic and the handful of SARS cases in Beijing
negatively influenced the capital city's agriculture and tourism
industries in the first half of this year, said Yu Xiuqin,
spokeswoman for the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Statistics, on
Wednesday.
However, the service sector -- which was hit hard last year by
the severe acute respiratory syndrome epidemic -- resumed strong
growth during the first half of 2004.
Beijing's first-half GDP was 191 billion yuan (US$23 billion),
up 15.4 percent compared with the same period last year.
Discounting the impact of SARS on the 2003 index, GDP rose 13.3
percent year-on-year.
The service sector climbed 14.2 percent year-on-year, with an
added value of 116.8 billion yuan (US$14 billion).
But agricultural output declined as a result of the impact of
bird flu on the poultry industry earlier this year. Added value for
the first half slipped 3.1 percent year-on-year, to 3.8 billion
yuan (US$460 million).
Yu did not provide figures for the tourism industry, although
she stated that the SARS threat kept it from recovering "to a
satisfying level."
The outlook is bright, however. "The economy of Beijing has
entered a new stage of fast development since 2003, with the
promotion of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and local residents
upgrading consumption," Yu said.
The consumption upgrade, Yu explained, refers to sales of
housing, vehicles and other high-ticket items that have a
significant impact on the health of Beijing's economy.
Secondary industry -- such traditional sectors as steel and
machinery -- saw the highest rate of growth, jumping 18.7 percent
in the January-June period to attain an added value of 70.4 billion
yuan (US$8.5 billion).
The Beijing municipal government has adopted various
administrative and macroeconomic measures to adjust economic
development zones, examine fixed-asset investment projects and
return order to the land market.
(China Daily July 15, 2004)