General Economy

Gross domestic product (GDP)

GDP for 2004 was 332.01 billion yuan, up 11.8% from the previous year.

GDP ratio (primary, secondary and tertiary industries)

The primary industry yielded a value added of 81.138 billion yuan, 5.4% more than that of the previous year; the secondary industry, 128.826 billion yuan, a growth of 17.1%; the tertiary industry, 122.046 billion yuan, a growth of 10.6%. The proportion of the three sectors is 24.4: 38.8: 36.8.

Revenue and expenditure

Regional revenue was 40.368 billion yuan, an increase of 18.2% over the previous year. Regional expenditure was 50.48 billion yuan, an increase of 13.8%.

Consumer price index (CPI)

CPI was 4.4% up from the previous year.

Investment in fixed assets

Fixed asset investment was valued at 125.486 billion yuan, up by 27.1% from the previous year.

Major Industries

Agriculture

In 2004, the region's total agricultural output value was 61.95 billion yuan, 6.1% up from the previous year.

Industry

The industrial added value totaled 104.48 billion yuan, an increase of 17.0%.

High-tech

Four high-tech development zones in Guilin, Nanning, Liuzhou and Beihai yielded total income of 42.531 billion yuan, a growth of 24.9% from the previous year.

Construction

Its added value was 24.343 billion yuan, up by 17.4%.

Transportation

The annual volume of goods handled was 368 million tons, up by 11.8% from the previous year. The annual passenger flow reached 491 million, an increase of 12.6%.

Postal services

The annual turnover of postal operations totaled 1.112 billion yuan, 8.0% up from the previous year.

Telecommunications

The annual turnover of telecom services totaled 25.694 billion yuan, 58.4% up from the previous year.

Retail

The annual turnover from retail sales reached 97.341 billion yuan, an increase of 13.5% from the previous year.

Tourism

The region received a total of 55.175 million domestic tourists and 1.125 million of overseas tourists. Foreign exchange earnings from tourism totaled US$238 million, up by 79.7%.

Continued Effects of Market Reform

Imports & exports

The annual value of imports and exports totaled US$4.288 billion, an increase of 34.3% from the previous year.

Economic and technological cooperation

Overseas project and labor contracts signed during the year were valued at US$55.88 million, up 44.3% from the previous year. Business turnover for the year totaled US$27.05 million, an increase of 23.2% from the previous year.

Foreign investment

In 2004, foreign direct investment and investment from other sources materialized in monetary term totaled US$538 million, down 22.0% from the year before.

Urban Construction and Management

Road transport

By the end of 2004, a total of 2,751 km of railway lines and 59,700 km of highways including 1,157 km of expressways had opened to traffic.

Public services

A total of 11.55 billion yuan was invested in urban infrastructure construction. The tape water supply capacity reached 9.20 million cubic meters per day. Sewage treatment capacity reached 578,500 cubic meters per day. The per capita share of green area stood at 4.67 square meters.

Social Undertakings

Education

The region has a total of 49 institutions of higher learning. The number of students enrolled during the year stood at 99,400, up by 25.1%.

Culture

By the end of 2004, the region had a total of 118 arts performance organizations, 100 cultural and arts centers, 96 public libraries, 41 museums and 126 archives.

Public health

At the end of the year, there were 9,211 public health institutions staffed with a work force of 121,740 people and equipped with 83,299 beds.

Sports

The athletes from the region won 6 golds in international games, and 53 golds in domestic events.

Welfare and aid

Welfare units across the region were equipped with 58,000 beds and put up 45,000 homeless and vagrant people. The welfare fund raised through selling lottery totaled 398 million yuan in 2004. Public donations totaled 15 million yuan.

Poverty relief

A total of 144 million yuan relief fund was appropriated to a population of 2.68 million who were suffering from natural disasters. One million of rural population began to have easy access to quality drinking water.

Population, Employment, Social Security and Living Standards

Population

The year 2004 saw births of 650,000, or a birth rate of 13.32‰, and deaths of 300,000, or a death rate of 6.12‰ in the region. The natural growth rate of the population stood at 7.20‰. At the end of the year, the total population stood at 48.89 million.

Employment

A total of 225,200 people got employed during the year, an increase of 50,200 compared with the previous year. By the end of the year, the employed population in the region stood at 26.31 million.

Registered unemployment rate

The registered urban unemployment rate was 4.1%.

Social security

In 2004, insurance plans for unemployment, endowments and medical treatment covered a population of 2.264 million, 2.794 million, and 2.722 million respectively. These figures are up by 10.9%, 5.7% and 15.8% respectively from the previous year. About 565,900 urban residents received minimum living allowances from the government.

Residents' income

The disposable income of urban residents was 8,690 yuan per capita, up by 11.6% from 2003. Rural residents' per capita net income was 2,305 yuan, up 10.1%.

Residents' consumption

Urban residents' per capita expenditure was 6,446 yuan, up by 11.8% from the previous year.

Geography and Natural Conditions

Elevation extremes

Situated on the southeast ring of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, Guangxi stands high in the northwest and low in the southeast, with the highest point at 2,141 meters above sea level.

Climate

Situated in a region at low latitudes, Guangxi borders on the tropic sea in the south, and has mountain ranges in its northern part. Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau extends into western part of Guangxi. Under the joint action of the sun radiation and atmospheric circulation, the climate here is characterized by having a short winter and long summer with the annual temperature averaging between 16ºC and 23ºC.

The annual rainfalls in Guangxi are between 1,000-2,800 mm, growing gradually southward from the north. The rainfalls from April through September make up 75% of the annual rainfalls. The rainy season just coincide with the hot season.

Affected by abnormal advances and retreats of monsoon, Guangxi often sees changes in precipitation and temperature. Drought, floods, typhoon and hailstorms may frequently hit the area.

Natural resources

Water resources:
Thickly crossed by rivers, Guangxi is rich in water resource. It is estimated that the surface water flowing in the province amounts to 188 billion cubic meters, accounting for 7.12% of the nation's total and ranking fifth among the provinces. The per capita possession of water resources in Guangxi is 4,138 cubic meters, nearly double the national average. The three largest water systems running through the province are Zhujiang (Pearl River), Yangtze and Duliu rivers.

Because of the abundant water resources, Guangxi is estimated to have energy potential with a power generating ability coming to 78.8 billion kw/h annually. Statistics of 1999 showed that existing hydropower stations in Guangxi had a total installed capacity of 6.1 million kw, with the annually generated electricity being 24.73 billion kw/h, leaving an immense room for development.

Minerals:
Guangxi is known for having various mineral deposits, and it serves as one of the 10 important production bases of nonferrous metals in China. The number of proven mineral resources comes to 96, including 53 of which the deposits ranks 10th or above among provinces. The region has especially abundant reserves of manganese and tin, which amount for one third of the national total. In addition, Guangxi takes a leading role in having the reserves of vanadium, tungsten, antimony, silver, aluminum, talcum and so forth. What makes the province a favorite place for mineral development and production is that the mineral resources are found relatively concentrated lying beneath the earth.

Marine resources:
The southern section of Guangxi is ringed by seacoast. The Beibu Bay, a natural semi-enclosed bay in the northwest of the South China Sea, covers an area of 129,300 sq km, with the depth of water averaging 38 meters, the deepest point at 100 meters down.

Located in the tropic zone, the Beibu Bay provides a favorable environment for the breeding and growth of various fish species. It is home to over 500 types of fish and shellfish. Among them over 50 are of economic value. They include red snapper, grouper, Spanish mackerel, butterfish and red coat. The total fish resources amount to 750,000 tons. The Beibu Bay Fish Farm covers an area of some 40,000 square sea miles.

Sub-tropical vegetation and animals:
By now, 929 kinds of land-based vertebrate animals are found in Guangxi, accounting for 43.3% of those found in China. Among these wild animals are 149 kinds which are rare species.

Guangxi ranks first among the Chinese provinces in being home to the rare species of plants. About 8,354 wild plants have been found in the region, including 122 kinds which are near distinction and need special protection.

A kingdom of fruits:
Among the 670 species of fruits growing in China, 110 take their roots in Guangxi. As the tropical or sub-tropical fruits account for 80% of the total growing there, Guangxi is regarded as a leading province in China to produce and export the delicacies. The region is well known for high-quality shaddock, banana, pineapple and orange. The year 2001 saw Guangxi producing a total of 4.05 million tons of fruits, ranking first among the Chinese provinces.

Vast stretches of natural forests:
The survey made in recent years showed that the forests in Guangxi occupied a land of 13.2 million hectares, accounting for 55.54% of the province's total territory. Good climate and geographical location enable Guangxi to have as many as over 8,000 tree species, including more than 1,000 kinds of arbor. Most of the precious forest resources are seen concentrating in the northeast section and Baise area, where about 39% of the province's timber products are put out.

Tourism resources

The picturesque scenic spots in Guangxi are famous worldwide, symbolized by Guilin, a natural beauty produced by unique karst geography. At present, the province has established several tourist attractions including three state-level natural scenic spots, 11 state-level forest parks, 30 regional natural scenic spots, 15 state-level cultural and historical relics, 221 regional cultural and historical relics and one state-level tourist resort in Beihai City.