Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, is hoping to double its gross domestic product (GDP) of 2001 by 2007, Zhang Guangning, acting mayor of the city, said on Tuesday.
In delivering a government work report to the ongoing first session of the 12th People's Congress of Guangzhou City, Zhang pledged that by the year 2007, they would score over US$8,000 in per capita GDP and the rate of urbanization in Guangzhou will be 85 percent.
According to Zhang, Guangzhou notched 300.17 billion yuan (about US$36.17 billion) in GDP last year, with the per capita GDP amounting to 5,000 US dollars.
From 1998 to 2002, more than 75.21 billion yuan (about US$9.06 billion) was spent in urban construction, with the completion of 180 items of infrastructure.
The per capita disposable income of urban residents last year was 13,380 yuan (about US$1,612.1), up 45 percent from the1997 level, while the per capita net income of rural residents was 6,857 yuan (some US$826), up 24 percent from 1997. The consumption structure of urban residents has improved greatly.
The first session of the 12th People's Congress of Guangzhou City began last Friday and will close on March 29.
(People's Daily March 26, 2003)
