Statistical Communiqu on the 2006 National Economic and Social Development(23707)

STATISTICAL COMMUNIQU OF

THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA

ON THE 2006 NATIONAL

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

National Bureau of Statistics of China

February 28, 2007

In 2006, under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, the people of all nationalities of China, taking as the guidance of Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of Three Represents , adhered to the scientific approach to the economic and social development, endeavored to build a socialist harmonious society, carefully carried out various measures set by the central government aiming at enhancing and improving macro-control and made remarkable achievements in the national economic and social development. The major problems existing in the economic and social development are the extensive mode of economic growth and outstanding relationship within the economic structure.

I. General Outlook

In 2006, the gross domestic product (GDP) of the year was 20,940.7 billion yuan, up by 10.7 percent over the previous year. The value added of the primary industry was 2,470.0 billion yuan, up by 5.0 percent. The value added of the secondary industry was 10,200.4 billion yuan, up by 12.5 percent. The value added of the tertiary industry was 8,270.3 billion yuan, up by 10.3 percent. The value added of the primary industry, secondary industry and the tertiary industry contributed 11.8 percent, 48.7 percent and 39.5 percent respectively to the GDP.

Figure 1: Gross Domestic Product and Its Growth, 2002-2006

Statistical Communiqu on the 2006 National Economic and Social Development

The general level of consumer prices in China was up by 1.5 percent over the previous year. Of this total, the prices for service items were up by 1.8 percent. The retail prices of commodities were up by 1.0 percent while the producer prices for manufactured goods increased by 3.0 percent and the purchasing prices for raw materials, fuels and power went up by 6.0 percent. The prices for investment in fixed assets were up by 1.5 percent. The producer prices of farm products were up by 1.2 percent. The sales prices for housing in 70 large and medium-sized cities were up by 5.5 percent.

Table 1: Change in Consumer Prices in 2006 over 2005

Unit: %
Item	National Average
Item	National Average	Urban	Rural
General level of consumer prices	1.5	1.5	1.5
Food	2.3	2.5	2.1
Grain	2.7	2.7	2.9
Tobaccos and alcohols	0.6	0.8	0.3
Clothing	-0.6	-0.6	-0.4
Household appliances and services	1.2	1.3	1.0
Medical, health and personal articles	1.1	0.9	1.5
Transportation and telecommunications	-0.1	-0.7	1.3
Recreational, educational, cultural articles and services	-0.5	0.0	-1.4
Housing	4.6	4.7	4.6

At the end of 2006, the total of employed people in China numbered 764.00 million, or 5.75 million more than at the end of 2005. Of this total, 283.10 million were employed in urban areas, an increase of 11.84 million or a net increase of 9.79 million. The urban unemployment rate through unemployment registration was 4.1 percent at the end of 2006, a drop of 0.1 percentage point over that of 2005.

At the end of 2006, China s foreign exchange reserves reached 1,066.3 billion US dollars, an increase of 247.5 billion US dollars as compared with that at the end of the pervious year. At the end of the year, the exchange rate was 7.8087 RMB to 1 USD, an appreciation by 3.35 percent over that at the end of 2005.

The various taxes collected in the whole year reached 3,763.6 billion yuan (excluding tariffs, farm land taxes and deed taxes), up by 21.9 percent or an increase of 677.0 billion yuan over 2005.

II. Agriculture

In 2006, the sown area of grain was 105.38 million hectares, an increase of 1.10 million hectares as compared with that in the previous year; the sown area of cotton was 5.40 million hectares, an increase of 340 thousand hectares; the sown area of oil-bearing crops was 13.80 million hectares, a decline of 520 thousand hectares; the sown area of sugar crops was 1.78 million hectares, an increase of 220 thousand hectares; and that for vegetables stood at 18.18 million hectares, an increase of 460 thousand hectares.

The total output of grain in 2006 was 497.46 million tons, up by 13.44 million tons or by 2.8 percent over the previous year; that of cotton was 6.73 million tons, a growth of 17.8 percent; that of oil-bearing crops was 30.62 million tons, down by 0.5 percent and that of sugar crops was 109.87 million tons, an increase of 16.2 percent.

Table 2: Output of Major Farm Products and the Growth Rates in 2006

Unit: 10,000 tons

Item	Output	Increase over 2005 (%)
Grain	49746	2.8
Summer crops	11381	7.0
Early rice	3187	0.0
Autumn crops	35178	1.7
Oil-bearing crops	3062	-0.5
Peanuts	1461	1.8
Rapeseed	1270	-2.7
Cotton	673	17.8