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)