China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) is to submit on Monday a report on the implementation of the country's 2006 national economic and social development plan and on the 2007 draft development plan to the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature.

 

Following are some facts and figures from the 35-page report, which was distributed to journalists in the Great Hall of the People prior to the opening of the NPC annual session scheduled for 9 AM Monday:

 

China’s Achievements in 2006:

 

-- China's GDP reached 20.94 trillion yuan, up 10.7 percent from the year before.

 

-- Total government revenue for 2006 was 3.93 trillion yuan, an increase of 24.3 percent.

 

-- Energy consumption per unit of GDP fell by 1.23 percent, which is the first drop since 2003.

 

-- The agricultural tax and tax on agricultural specialties were abolished across the country.

 

-- A total of 339.7 billion yuan from the central government was spent on agriculture, rural areas and farmers, a year-on-year increase of 42.2 billion yuan.

 

-- A rich grain harvest with total output amounting to 497.45 billion kilograms, 13.44 billion kilograms more than the year before.

 

-- Reform of the mechanism to guarantee funding for compulsory education in rural areas got off to a good start, benefiting 52 million elementary and middle school students in 2006. Each elementary school student paid 140 yuan less on average, and middle school student 180 yuan.

 

-- The number of rural residents taking part in the new rural cooperative medical care system now totals 410 million and the coverage rate based on county units has reached 50.7 percent.

 

-- Per capita net income of rural residents and per capita disposable income of urban residents grew by 7.4 percent and 10.4 percent respectively in real terms.

 

-- The country's export and import volume reached US$1.76 trillion in 2006, up 23.8 percent from the year before.

 

Major Development Targets for 2007:

 

-- GDP growth at about 8 percent.

 

-- Government revenue for the year will total 4.4065 trillion yuan.

 

-- Creation of at least nine million new jobs for urban residents with urban registered unemployment under 4.6 percent.

 

-- A 6 percent increase in both per capita disposable income of urban residents and per capita net income of rural residents in real terms, and a 12 percent increase in retail sales of consumer goods.

 

-- Continued progress in science and technology, education, health, culture and other social programs. The ratio of research and development expenditures compared to GDP is expected to increase to 1.56 percent.

 

(Xinhua News Agency March 5, 2007)