China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) is to submit on
Monday a report on the implementation of the country's 2006 national economic
and social development plan and on the 2007 draft development plan to the
National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature.
Following are some facts and figures from the 35-page report, which was
distributed to journalists in the Great Hall of the People prior to the opening
of the NPC annual full session scheduled for 9 a.m. Monday:
CHINA'S ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2006:
-- China's GDP reached 20.94 trillion yuan, up 10.7 percent from the year
before.
-- Total government revenue for 2006 was 3.93 trillion yuan, an increase of
24.3 percent.
-- Energy consumption per unit of GDP fell by 1.23 percent, which is the
first drop since 2003.
-- The agricultural tax and tax on agricultural specialties were abolished
across the country.
-- A total of 339.7 billion yuan from the central government was spent on
agriculture, rural areas and farmers, a year-on-year increase of 42.2 billion
yuan.
-- A rich grain harvest with total output amounting to 497.45 billion
kilograms, 13.44 billion kilograms more than the year before.
-- Reform of the mechanism to guarantee funding for compulsory education in
rural areas got off to a good start, benefiting 52 million elementary and middle
school students in 2006. Each elementary school student paid 140 yuan less on
average, and middle school student 180 yuan.
-- The number of rural residents taking part in the new rural cooperative
medical care system now totals 410 million and the coverage rate based on county
units has reached 50.7 percent.
-- Per capita net income of rural residents and per capita disposable income
of urban residents grew by 7.4 percent and 10.4 percent respectively in real
terms.
-- The country's export and import volume reached 1.76 trillion U.S. dollars
in 2006, up 23.8 percent from the year before.
MAJOR DEVELOPMENT TARGETS FOR 2007
-- GDP growth at about 8 percent.
-- Government revenue for the year will total 4.4065 trillion yuan.
-- Creation of at least nine million new jobs for urban residents with urban
registered unemployment under 4.6 percent.
-- A 6 percent increase in both per capita disposable income of urban
residents and per capita net income of rural residents in real terms, and a 12
percent increase in retail sales of consumer goods.
-- Continued progress in science and technology, education, health, culture
and other social programs. The ratio of research and development expenditures
compared to GDP is expected to increase to 1.56 percent.