STATISTICAL COMMUNIQUÉ OF
THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
ON THE 2003 NATIONAL
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STATISTICS OF CHINA

February 26, 2004

In 2003, under the correct leadership of the Central Party Committee and the State Council, and guided by Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of “Three Represents”, people of all nationalities of China implemented in full swing the spirit of the 16th National Congress of CPC and the Third Plenary Session of the 16th CPC Central Committee, and dealt steadily with the serious problems and challenges brought about by the sudden outbreak of SARS, by various natural disasters and by the complex and changing international situations. Chinese people united as one and went all out to achieve the main targets set forth for the economic and social development. The national economy grew rapidly with further improved quality and vitality. Structural adjustment achieved significant progress; steady development was scored in the reform and opening programs. New achievements were registered in science and technology, education, culture, public health, sports and other social undertakings. The living standard of urban and rural households continued to improve.

I. General Outlook

The national economy increased by fast speed. The gross domestic product (GDP) of the year was 11,669.4 billion yuan, up by 9.1 percent, or 1.1 percentage points higher over the previous year at comparable prices. The value-added of the primary industry was 1,724.7 billion yuan, up by 2.5 percent; it was 0.4 percentage points lower. The value-added of the secondary industry was 6,177.8 billion yuan, up by 12.5 percent, or 2.7 percentage points higher. The value-added of the tertiary industry was 3,766.9 billion yuan, up by 6.7 percent, or 0.8 percentage points lower. Of the tertiary industry, the growth of the financial and insurance industry was 6.9 percent, that of the wholesale and retail sales and catering industry was 6.6 percent, and that of the real estate industry was 5.3 percent.

The general price level was up by small margin. The general level of consumer prices in China of the year was up by 1.2 percent over the previous year. Of this total, the consumer price level in urban areas was up by 0.9 percent, and it was up by 1.6 percent in rural areas (Table 1). Of the total consumer prices, the prices for food increased by 3.4 percent, the prices for service items were up 2.2 percent. The retail prices of commodities were down by 0.1 percent, while the producers’ prices for manufactured goods increased by 2.3 percent, and the purchasing prices for raw materials, fuels and power went up by 4.8 percent. The prices for investment in fixed assets were up 2.2 percent. Producers’ prices of farm products were up by 4.4 percent. Analyzed by products, the price for cereals was up 2.3 percent; for cotton, up 35.3 percent; for oil-bearing crops, up 19.4 percent; and for livestock products, 1.8 percent. 

Table 1: Change in Consumer Prices in 2003 over 2002 (%)
Item	National average
		Urban	Rural
General level of consumer prices	1.2	0.9	1.6
Food	3.4	3.4	3.4
of which: grain	2.3	2.3	2.2
Tobaccos and alcohols	-0.2	-0.2	-0.1
Clothing	-2.2	-2.6	-1.4
Household appliances and services	-2.6	-3.0	-1.7
Medical, health and personal articles	0.9	-0.2	2.5
Transportation and telecommunications	-2.2	-2.6	-1.4
Recreational, educational, cultural articles     and services	1.3	0.5	2.8
Housing	2.1	2.8	1.0

The size of employment continued to expand. By the end of 2003, the total of employed people in China numbered 744.32 million, or 6.92 million more than at the end of 2002. Of this total, 256.39 million were employed in urban areas, an increase of 8.59 million persons over that at the end of 2002. In 2003, 4.40 million once laid-off workers of state-owned enterprises were re-employed. The urban unemployment rate through unemployment registration was 4.3 percent at the end of 2003, up by 0.3 percentage points.

China’s balance of payment was in good position. The trade surplus was 25.5 billion US dollars in 2003, a decrease of 4.9 billion US dollars. The utilization of foreign capitals continued to increase. Foreign exchange reserves went up by large margin. By the end of 2003, China’s foreign exchange reserves reached 403.3 billion US dollars, an increase of 116.8 billion US dollars as compared with that at the end of the pervious year. The exchange rate of RMB remained stable.

Main problems that existed in the economic and social development included: the slow growth of farmers’ income; the heavy tasks for employment and social security; the tight relation between the supply and demand of energy and transportation, the large size of investment in fixed assets, the blind investment and repeated low quality expansion in some industries; the big gap in the income between selected groups of population, the relatively difficult life of low-income households, the increasing pressure on resources and environment, etc.

II. Agriculture

Structural adjustment for crop production continued. In 2003, the sown areas of grain was 99.41 million hectares, a decrease of 4.48 million hectares as compared with that in the previous year, and the sown areas of sugar crops was 1.65 million hectares, a decrease of 170,000 hectares. The sown areas of cotton were 5.11 million hectares, an increase of 920,000 hectares. The sown areas of oil-bearing crops rose by 200,000 hectares to reach 14.97 million hectares, and that for vegetables rose by 560,000 hectares to reach 17.91 million hectares.

The production of major farm crops decreased, including grain, cotton, oil-bearing crops and sugar crops. The output of vegetables and fruits continued to grow with better variety and quality. The total output of grain in 2003 was 430.67 million tons, down by 26.39 million tons or 5.8 percent over the previous year (Table 2).

Steady progress was seen in animal husbandry and fishery. The total output of meat for the year reached 69.20 million tons, up by 5.1 percent. Of this total, the output of beef and mutton was up 12.9 percent and 10.8 percent respectively. Rapid growth was recorded in the output of cow milk. The total output of aquatic products was 46.90 million tons, up by 2.8 percent. 

Table 2: Output of Major Farm Products, 2003
Item	Output (10,000 tons)	Increase over 2002 (%)
Grain	43067	-5.8
Summer crops	9622	-2.4
Early rice	2944	-2.8
Autumn crops	30501	-7.1
Oil-bearing crops	2805	-3.2
Peanuts	1337	-9.8
Rapeseed	1141	8.1
Cotton	487	-0.9
Sugar crops	9670	-6.1
Sugarcane	9051	0.4
Beetroot	619	-51.8
Cured tobacco	201	-5.7
Tea	78	4.5
Fruits	14470	0.3
Vegetables	53960	2.1

 Over 780,000 hectares of land were converted into farmland with effective irrigation system, another 1.37 million hectares of land were guaranteed by water-saving irrigation system.

III. Industry and Construction

Fast growth was registered in industrial production. In 2003, the total value-added of the industrial sector was 5,361.2 billion yuan, up by 12.6 percent over the previous year. The value-added of industrial enterprises above designated size (i.e. all state-owned enterprises and those non-state-owned enterprises with an annual sales income over 5 million yuan) was up by 17.0 percent (Table 3). The sales ratio of industrial enterprises was 98.1 percent, or 0.1 percentage points higher than that in the previous year.

Table 3: Value-added of Industrial Sector, 2003
Item	Value-added (100 million yuan)	Increase over 2002 (%)
Value-added of industrial enterprises above designated size	41045	17.0
Of which: State-owned and state-controlled            enterprises	19408	14.3
Of which: Collective enterprises	2787	11.5
Share-holding enterprises	16878	18.3
Enterprises invested by foreigners or investors from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan	11174	20.0
Of which: Light industry	14653	14.6
Heavy industry	26392	18.6

Fairly fast growth was seen in high-tech industry. Of the total industrial enterprises above designated size, the value-added of high-tech industry was up 20.6 percent over the previous year. The output of optical telecommunications facilities, program-controlled switchboards, mobile telephones and microcomputers increased by 25.9 percent to 120 percent (Table 4)

Energy production speeded up. The total output of primary energy reached 1,603 million tons of standard coal equivalent, it was up by 11.0 percent over the previous year. The electricity generated for the whole year was 1,910.76 billion kilowatt-hours, up by 15.5 percent. The output of coal was 1,667 million tons, up by 15.0 percent. The output of crude oil reached 170 million tons, up by 1.8 percent.

The production of major raw materials grew fast. In 2003, the value-added of the smelting and pressing of ferrous metals was up 22.6 percent over the previous year; that of the nonferrous metals was up 18.1 percent; that of the raw chemical materials and chemical products was up 14.1 percent; and that of nonmetal mineral products was up 16.6 percent. In terms of different products, the output of steel stood at 222 million tons, up by 21.9 percent; that of rolled steel was 241 million tons, up by 25.3 percent. The production of 10 kinds of nonferrous metals went up by 19.1 percent; that of aluminum oxide was up by 11.2 percent; 7.7 percent growth for caustic soda and 18.9 percent growth for cement.

Table 4: Output of Major Industrial Products, 2003
Product	Unit	Output	Increase over 2002 (%)
Yarn	10000 tons	983.58	15.72
Cloth	100 million meters	374.64	16.21
Chemical fibers	10000 tons	1181.14	19.16
Sugar	10000 tons	1083.94	17.06
Cigarettes	10000 cases	3583.25	3.35
Color TV sets	10000