Beijing's economy maintained its steady and relatively fast
growth in the first three quarters of the year, driven by the
upcoming Olympic Games and continued structural adjustments to
industries, an official from the Beijing statistics bureau said
yesterday.
The capital's gross domestic product was about 642 billion yuan
(US$86 billion) in the first nine months, a year-on-year increase
of 12.6 percent, higher than the national average of 11.5
percent.
"The economic effects of the forthcoming Olympic Games and
continued efforts to adjust the industrial structure are beginning
to bear fruit," the bureau's spokeswoman Yu Xiuqin said.
"The rapidly developing economy is characterized by a decreasing
proportion of polluting and high energy consumption industries, as
we have stepped up efforts to develop a green economy," Yu
said.
For example, the output generated by petroleum processing and
coking factories accounted for 1.6 percent and 4.8 percent,
respectively, of the industrial total, down 0.8 and 1.4 percentage
points on the previous year, Yu said.
She said an energy saving project will include cutting the
production of Shougang Steel Company by 4 million tons, relocating
a chemical plant, closing the city's smaller power stations and a
number of coal mines.
"The robust economy is also shown by the increased disposable
income of urban and rural residents, and a rising employment rate,"
Yu said.
In the first three quarters, the per capita disposable income of
urban and rural residents was 16,553 yuan (US$2,200) and 8,305
yuan, respectively, an increase of 14.4 percent and 10.5
percent.
Additionally, Beijing's labor authority said there was an
unemployment rate of 1.84 percent in urban areas, down 0.25
percentage points year-on-year.
"Early this year we started a special job program for people
from 'zero-employment' families and it has greatly increased the
employment rate," Yu said.
More than 99 percent of such families have at least one member
that has been employed, she said.
(China Daily October 26, 2007)