GDP in 2017 expected to top 80 trillion yuan

Chief of National Development and Reform Commission says a growth rate higher than the annual target of around 6.5 percent could be achieved

China's GDP is expected to exceed 80 trillion yuan ($12.1 trillion; 10.3 trillion euros; ￡9.1 trillion) this year, with a growth rate possibly higher than the annual target of around 6.5 percent, the chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission said on Oct 21.

That means the annual growth from last year will reach more than 6 trillion yuan, an increment as large as a medium-sized developed country's GDP, and would also be higher than any annual added amount in the past five years, NDRC Chairman He Lifeng said at a news conference at the 19th CPC National Congress.

China has contributed more than one-third of global economic growth on average each year since 2012, making it the world's largest contributor, he said.

In the first three quarters, China achieved year-on-year GDP growth of 6.9 percent, with stable inflation as measured by 1.5 percent year-on-year growth in the consumer price index, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

In terms of supply-side reform, which aims to rebalance the economy toward a high-quality growth pattern, the country has reduced overcapacity of steel and iron production by 110 million metric tons, along with cutting 400 million tons of coal, and shifting more resources into high-tech and innovation-driven industries, the NDRC chairman said.

On the other hand, new technology, industries and business models are increasing their contribution to stabilize economic growth momentum. Emerging industries of strategic importance achieved total operational revenue of 19.1 trillion yuan last year, up by 75 percent from 2012, NDRC data show.

The country's big data industry increased by 43.7 percent last year, and it is expected to continually expand at a rate higher than 50 percent in the next three years, according to the NDRC.

Louis Kuijs, head of Asia economics for Oxford Economics, says, "We think in the coming years these quality and equality aspects will drive economic policy reform by further improving access to health, education and pension provision, and improve China's environment and ecology."

Regional strategies and plans, including coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and plans for the Yangtze River Economic Zone, will further consolidate China's overall economic growth, experts says.

The central government is putting the finishing touches on the construction plan for the Xiongan New Area in Hebei province, while a framework for the area's administration policies is heading for final discussion and approval, NDRC chairman He said.

He said more than 300 experts have participated in drafting the plan, and added that the area will be constructed to high standards, as Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, pointed out on Oct 18 in his report to the 19th CPC National Congress.

chenjia@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 10/27/2017 page25)