General Economy

Gross domestic product (GDP)

GDP for 2005 was 406.33 billion yuan, up 12.7% from the previous year. The per capita GDP stood at 8,762 yuan (US$1,080), up 11.8%.

GDP ratio (primary, secondary and tertiary industries)

The primary industry yielded a value added of 90.256 billion yuan, 6.9% more than that of the previous year; the secondary industry, 150.504 billion yuan, a growth of 18.5%; the tertiary industry, 165.57 billion yuan, a growth of 10.2%. The GDP ratio of the three sectors is 22.2: 37.0: 40.8.

Revenue and expenditure

Regional revenue was 47.537 billion yuan, an increase of 17.7% over the previous year. Regional expenditure was 60.975 billion yuan, an increase of 20.2%.

Consumer price index (CPI)

CPI was 2.4% up from the previous year.

Investment in fixed assets

Fixed asset investment was valued at 177.594 billion yuan, up by 40.5% from the previous year.

Major Industries

Agriculture

In 2005, the region's output value of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery totaled 144.21 billion yuan, 7.3% up from the previous year. The grain output was 15.163 million tons, up 2.9%.

Industry

The industrial added value totaled 126.302 billion yuan, an increase of 18.9%.

Construction

Its added value was 24.202 billion yuan in 2005.

Transportation

The freight carried by various means of transport amounted to 402 million tons for a total of 119.434 billion ton-kilometers. The two figures were up 8.8% and 9.2% respectively from the previous year.

Passengers carried numbered 524 million, or about 58.918 billion person-kilometers, up by 7.1% and 11.5% respectively.

Postal services

The annual turnover of postal operations totaled 1.172 billion yuan, 7.3% up from the previous year.

Telecommunications services

The annual turnover of telecom services totaled 31.59 billion yuan, 22.9% up from the previous year. At the end of 2005, the number of fixed line subscribers reached 8.69 million, an increase of 7.2% from the previous year-end; and the number of mobile phone subscribers reached 10.21 million, an increase of 1.46 million from the 2004 figure.

Retail

The annual turnover from retail sales reached 139.702 billion yuan, an increase of 14.3% from the previous year.

Tourism

Revenue from domestic tourism was 27.78 billion yuan, up 20.2% from the previous year, and foreign exchange earnings from tourism totaled US$320 million, up by 31.6%.

Continued Effects of Market Reform

Imports & exports

The annual value of imports and exports totaled US$5.183 billion, an increase of 20.9% from the previous year. This amount included US$2.877 billion from exports, up 20.1%, and US$2.305 billion, up 21.8%.

Economic and technological cooperation

Overseas project and labor contracts signed during the year were valued at US$12.33 million, down 74.2% from the previous year. Business turnover for the year totaled US$25.03 million.

Foreign investment

In 2005, foreign direct investment in the region amounted to US$379 million, up 28.0% from the year before.

Urban Construction and Management

Road transport

In 2005, a total of 2,437 km of highways were built, including 253 km of express highway.

Public utilities

A total of 65.556 billion yuan was invested in urban infrastructure construction, an increase of 35.5% from the year before. The tape water supply capacity reached 9.2 million cubic meters per day. Sewage treatment capacity reached 578,500 cubic meters per day. The per capita share of green area stood at 6.19 square meters.

Social Undertakings

Science and technology

A total of 558 technological contracts were signed in 2005, they were valued at 941 million yuan.

Education

The region had a total of 49 institutions of higher learning. The number of students enrolled in postgraduate schools and institutions of higher learning during the year stood at 4,600 and 116,700 respectively.

Culture

By the end of 2005, the region had a total of 118 arts performance organizations, 100 cultural and arts centers, 95 public libraries, 49 museums and 139 archives. About 93.5% and 88.7% of the regional population respectively had access to TV and radio programs. Cable TV program subscribers numbered 4.5 million at the year-end.

Public health

At the end of 2005, there were 9,291 public health institutions staffed with a work force of 129,000 people and equipped with 87,000 beds. 15 counties had been involved in piloting the new type rural medical service system which had covered a rural population of 4.84 million.

Sports

The athletes from the region won 6 gold medals in international games.

Population, Employment, Social Security and Living Standards

Population

The year 2005 saw births of 700,000, or a birth rate of 14.26‰, and deaths of 300,000, or a death rate of 6.09‰ in the region. The natural growth rate of the population stood at 8.17‰. At the end of the year, the total population stood at 49.25 million.

Employment

A total of 235,100 new jobs were created during the year, an increase of 4.4% compared with the previous year. By the end of the year, the employed population in the region stood at 27.03 million.

Registered unemployment rate

The registered urban unemployment rate was 4.15%.

Social security

By the end of 2005, insurance plans for endowments, unemployment and medical treatment had covered a population of 2.886 million, 2.199 million, and 2.859 million respectively. These figures are respectively 3.3% up, 2.86% down and 5.0% up from the previous year.

Residents' income

The disposable income of urban residents was 8,917 yuan per capita, up by 9.0% from 2004. Rural residents' per capita net income was 2,495 yuan, up 8.2%.

Residents' consumption

Urban residents' per capita expenditure was 6,426 yuan while that of rural residents was 2,350 yuan.

Geography and Natural Conditions

Elevation extremes

Situated on the southeast ring of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, Guangxi stands high in the northwest and low in the southeast, with the highest point at 2,141 meters above sea level.

Climate

Situated in a region at low latitudes, Guangxi borders on the tropic sea in the south, and has mountain ranges in its northern part. Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau extends into western part of Guangxi. Under the joint action of the sun radiation and atmospheric circulation, the climate here is characterized by having a short winter and long summer with the annual temperature averaging between 16ºC and 23ºC.

The annual rainfalls in Guangxi are between 1,000-2,800 mm, growing gradually southward from the north. The rainfalls from April through September make up 75% of the annual rainfalls. The rainy season just coincide with the hot season.

Affected by abnormal advances and retreats of monsoon, Guangxi often sees changes in precipitation and temperature. Drought, floods, typhoon and hailstorms may frequently hit the area.

Natural resources

Water resources:
Thickly crossed by rivers, Guangxi is rich in water resources. The water resources amounted to 174.13 billion cubic meters in 2005, with per capita share of this resource being 3,536 cubic meters. The average annual rainfall stood at 1,444.3 mm during the year.

Because of the abundant water resources, Guangxi is estimated to have energy potential with a power generating ability coming to 78.8 billion kw/h annually.

Minerals:
Guangxi is known for having various mineral deposits, and it serves as one of the 10 important production bases of nonferrous metals in China. The number of proven mineral resources comes to 96, including 53 of which the deposits ranks 10th or above among provinces. The region has especially abundant reserves of manganese and tin, which amount for one third of the national total. In addition, Guangxi takes a leading role in having the reserves of vanadium, tungsten, antimony, silver, aluminum, talcum and so forth. What makes the province a favorite place for mineral development and production is that the mineral resources are found relatively concentrated lying beneath the earth.

Marine resources:
The southern section of Guangxi is ringed by seacoast. The Beibu Bay, a natural semi-enclosed bay in the northwest of the South China Sea, covers an area of 129,300 square km, with the depth of water averaging 38 meters, the deepest point at 100 meters down.

Located in the tropic zone, the Beibu Bay provides a favorable environment for the breeding and growth of various fish species. It is home to over 500 types of fish and shellfish. Among them over 50 are of economic value. They include red snapper, grouper, Spanish mackerel, butterfish and red coat. The total fish resources amount to 750,000 tons. The Beibu Bay Fish Farm covers an area of some 40,000 square sea miles.

Sub-tropical vegetation and animals:
By now, 929 kinds of land-based vertebrate animals are found in Guangxi, accounting for 43.3% of those found in China. Among these wild animals are 149 kinds which are rare species.

Guangxi ranks first among the Chinese provinces and autonomous regions in being home to the rare species of plants. About 8,354 wild plants have been found in the region, including 122 kinds which are near distinction and need special protection.

A kingdom of fruits:
Among the 670 species of fruits growing in China, 110 take their roots in Guangxi. As the tropical or sub-tropical fruits account for 80% of the total growing there, Guangxi is regarded as a leading province in China to produce and export the delicacies. The region is well known for high-quality shaddock, banana, pineapple and orange. The year 2001 saw Guangxi producing a total of 4.05 million tons of fruits, ranking first among the Chinese provinces.

Vast stretches of natural forests:
The survey made in 2005 showed that the forests in Guangxi occupied a land of 9.82 million hectares, accounting for 41.33% of the province's total territory. Good climate and geographical location enable Guangxi to have as many as over 8,000 tree species, including more than 1,000 kinds of arbor. Most of the precious forest resources are seen concentrating in the northeast section and Baise area.

By the end of 2005, a total of 72 nature reserves had been established across the region, covering a total area of 1.515 million hectares.

Tourism resources

The picturesque scenic spots in Guangxi are famous worldwide, symbolized by Guilin, a natural beauty produced by unique karst geography. At present, the province has established several tourist attractions including three state-level natural scenic spots, 11 state-level forest parks, 30 regional natural scenic spots, 15 state-level cultural and historical relics, 221 regional cultural and historical relics and one state-level tourist resort in Beihai City.