Chongqing Municipal People's Government Information Office recently held a press conference on Chongqing's economic performance in the first half of 2014, announcing that Chongqing's economy maintained a sound and fast growth.

Zhang Fumin, deputy director of Chongqing Municipal Bureau of Statistics said during the meeting that, in the first half of the year, Chongqing's economy had kept a steady and fast paced growth. Chongqing's total GDP was 644.05 billion yuan ($ 103 billion), a year-on-year increase of 10.9 percent.

From an industrial point of view, the value added to primary industries was 30.78 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 3.8 percent; that of secondary industries was 348.28 billion yuan, up by 12.8 percent, where the value added to the industry was 291.1 billion yuan, up by 12.6 percent; the value added to the tertiary industries was 265.05 billion yuan, up 8.3 percent. People's income growth maintained rapid growth.

From January to May this year, the total value added by industrial enterprises above a certain size in Chongqing Municipality was 31.1 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 43.4 percent. The composite index of industrial economic benefits for industrial enterprises above a designated size reached 287.60 percent, 28.5 percentage points higher than the same period last year.

In the first half, the city's public budget revenues totaled 97.15 billion yuan, an increase of 13.4 percent. The disposable income per capita of all residents in Chongqing Municipality was 9510 yuan, a year-on-year increase of 11.6 percent. In particular, disposable income per capita for urban residents was 13,248 yuan, an increase of 9.6 percent; disposable income per capita for rural residents was 4,688 yuan, an increase of 12.6 percent.

From an industrial structure prospect, Chongqing industry is presenting a "two-wheel drive, multi-point support" situation. In the first half, emerging industries have been through rapid development. The total output value exceeded 220 billion yuan, an increase of 30 percent. Additionally, energy consumption fell 6.9 percent compared with the same time last year which showed that the industrial growth mode has been changed in a positive way.

As estimated, the growth rate of consumer prices will rise modestly in the second half of the year but is still manageable. In the first half of the year, consumer prices in Chongqing rose 1.7 percent, which was below the national average. Prices for eight categories of goods and services presented a "six up two down" pattern.

Tong Ze, deputy chief of Chongqing's Investigation Team of the National Bureau of Statistics at the meeting estimated that in the second half of the year, Chongqing consumer price levels will remain moderate but on a rising trend, but still able to achieve the controlled objectives throughout the year.

With regards boosting employment, in the first half of the year Chongqing Municipality invested two billion yuan to promote employment, support microenterprise set-ups, issue discounted small loans, offer social security benefits and more in a bid to support college graduates, migrant workers, people who have difficulties in finding jobs to get employed or set up their own business. Data shows that in the first half of the year, the total of newly increased employed in urban areas was 0.4 million people, an increase of 2.4 percent year-on-year. Encouraging and guiding 240,000 farmers to return home for employment or set up their business, the registered urban unemployment rate was 3.5 percent, which remained stable.

Appendix: Key data:

GDP figures in five functional areas

Urban core area: 128.86 billion yuan

Urban expansion area: 162.621 billion yuan

Urban development area: 217.834 billion yuan

Chongqing northeast ecological conservation area: 102.432 billion yuan

Chongqing southeastern ecological protection area: 32.304 billion yuan

Main economic data in Chongqing

Primary Industries

Added value of 30.777 billion yuan, an increase of 3.8 percent

Secondary industries

Added value of 348.228 billion yuan, an increase of 12.8 percent

Tertiary Industries

Added value of 265.046 billion yuan, an increase of 8.3%

Fixed asset investment

535.912 billion yuan, an increase of 18.3 percent

Total retail sales of consumer goods

247.773 billion yuan, an increase of 13.1 percent

Total value of imports and exports

267.489 billion yuan, an increase of 41.8 percent

Disposable income

Urban permanent residents per capita disposable income of 1,325 yuan, an increase of 9.6 percent

Rural permanent residents per capita disposable income of 468 yuan, an increase of 12.6 percent

Industry Total valued added of industrial enterprises, above a designated size, of 849.66 billion yuan, an increase of 15.0 percent

Housing

Housing construction area of 248 million square meters, an increase of 12.1 percent

By Huang Pei

Edited by Brian Salter