Shanghai surprises with 7% growth in H1

Though an early bird of the nation's economic restructuring, Shanghai took seven years to achieve a GDP growth that corresponded with the national average of 7 percent, official data revealed on Thursday.

During the first six months of this year, GDP growth in Shanghai edged up to 7 percent, higher than the first-quarter reading of 6.6 percent, according to the Shanghai Municipal Statistics Bureau.

During the same period, Shanghai made remarkable progress in economic restructuring, with a significant growth in support from the tertiary industry. Official data showed that the added value of the tertiary industry, which includes finance, information technology and modern service sectors, grew 10.2 percent year-on-year, accounting for 67.1 percent of the total GDP and contributed about 90 percent to the city's economic growth, according to the Shanghai Municipal Development and Reform Commission.