Sources from the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Finance said the national capital has kept a growth rate of over 20 percent in fiscal revenue for eight consecutive years.

A number of factors contributed to the growth, including a careful implementation of economic development strategy, lopsided development of high-tech industries, spurring domestic demand while enlarging export, expansion of modern manufacturing business and modern commerce and services, as well as intensified levy of taxes.

The capital city concentrated money on accomplishing a great number of tasks. In addition to exempting about 600,000 poor primary and junior middle school students of their tuition fees, the municipal government invested 13.5 billion yuan (about US$1.63 billion) in financing infrastructure construction.

In the meantime, the city set aside 1.5 billion yuan (about US$181million) for construction of the Zhongguancun high-tech park and earmarked another 6.12 billion yuan (about US$737 million) for the completion of 60 programs that will affect broad numbers of people in Beijing.

(Xinhua News Agency January 2, 2003)