Industrial production maintained high growth. In 2004, the total added value of the industrial sector was 6.28 trillion yuan, up 11.5 percent over the previous year. The added value of industrial enterprises above designated size was 5.48 trillion yuan, up 16.7 percent. The sales ratio of industrial enterprises was 98.1 percent, or 0.2 percentage points higher than that in the previous year.

Energy production sped up. In 2004, the total output of primary energy reached 1.846 billion tons of standard coal equivalent, up 15.2 percent over the previous year. The electricity generated for the whole year was 2.19 trillion kwh, up 14.5 percent. The output of coal was 1.956 billion tons, up 17.3 percent. The output of crude oil reached 175 million tons, up 2.9 percent.

The production of major raw materials grew fast. In 2004, the added value of the smelting and pressing of ferrous metals was up 26.8 percent over the previous year; that of the nonferrous metals was up 22.4 percent; that of the raw chemical materials and chemical products was up 18.2 percent; and that of nonmetal mineral products was up 19.9 percent. Among major raw material products, the output of crude steel stood at 273 million tons, up 22.7 percent; that of rolled steel was 297 million tons, up 23.3 percent. The output of cement was 970 million tons, up 12.5 percent. The production of 10 kinds of nonferrous metals went up 16.4 percent; that of sulfuric acid, soda ash, caustic soda, ethylene and major chemical products increased from 2.4 percent to 18.5 percent.

Fairly fast growth was seen in the manufacturing sector. In 2004, the added value of the general equipment manufacturing industry was up 22.2 percent over the previous year. The growth of electric machinery and equipment manufacturing industry was 17.7 percent, and that of the transport equipment manufacturing industry was 14 percent. The production of heavy- and medium-duty tractors was up 101.4 percent, and that of the power generating equipment was up 92.9 percent.

The automobile industry saw growth slowing down in both production and sales. In 2004, the total output of motor vehicles reached 5.074 million units, an increase of 14.2 percent. Of this total, the production of cars reached 2.314 million units, up 11.7 percent. China remained the third largest consumer and fourth largest producer of automobiles in the world. With a sales volume of 1.01 million vehicles in 2004, China FAW Group became the first Chinese automaker selling over 1 million vehicles a year. Thirty-three enterprises manufactured homemade cars, one more than the previous year. They sold 120 models of cars, making up 30 brands.

Top 10 Carmakers in Terms of Production, 2004

Hi-tech industry registered fast growth. In 2004, the added value of hi-tech industry was up 23.1 percent over the previous year. Of the hi-tech industry, the growth of telecommunications equipment, computer and other electronic equipment manufacturing was 26.9 percent. Of this total, the output of optical telecommunications facilities, program-controlled switchboards, mobile telephones and microcomputers rose by a range of 14.7 percent to 40.3 percent.

Economic efficiency of the industrial sector continued to improve. Among the industrial enterprises above designated size, the profits of state-owned and state-controlled enterprises stood at 531.2 billion yuan, up 42.5 percent; those of the collective enterprises were 51.2 billion yuan, up 31.3 percent. The profits of joint-stock enterprises reached 544.8 billion yuan, up 39.4 percent; those of foreign-invested enterprises and enterprises invested by people from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan stood at 345.5 billion yuan, up 25.5 percent, and those of the private enterprises were 123.7 billion yuan, up 40.1 percent.

The construction industry maintained the momentum of growth. In 2004, the added value of construction enterprises in China was 957.2 billion yuan, up 8.1 percent over the previous year at comparable prices. The profits made by construction enterprises with qualifications through general contracts and specialized contracts reached 62.1 billion yuan, up 19.5 percent, with their taxes paid reaching 95.9 billion yuan, up 26.4 percent.