Huairou reports GDP rise of 7.1%

Beijing's Huairou district reported first half GDP growth of 7.1 percent year-on-year, highlighted by a more than 20 percent surge in the new materials sector, a 100 percent revenue jump in leasing and business services and its approval as a municipal-level future industry pilot zone.

Ma Tianbiao, director of the district's development and reform commission, said Huairou's economy experienced a strong start in the first quarter and continued to consolidate in the second.

The coordinated development of the industrial and services sectors has solidified the foundation for steady growth, with the total output value of industries above a designated size reaching 29.94 billion yuan ($4.4 billion). Focusing on future energy, manufacturing and materials, Huairou has successfully become one of Beijing's four municipal-level future industry pilot zones.

Furthermore, the new materials sector has gathered 47 key enterprises, including seven national-level specialized and sophisticated "little giant" enterprises, and built eight innovation platforms at or above the provincial and ministerial levels, forming a complete innovation ecosystem from basic research and pilot verification to industrialization.

In the aerospace technology sector, the district has planned a 6-kilometer "interstellar navigation avenue". Focusing on the research and development of key components such as satellite-borne laser communications and electric thrusters, it aims to build an industrial cluster for key payloads and support manufacturing, driven by spacecraft assembly, integration and testing, and radiation-resistance testing services. This initiative has already connected over 20 scientific and technological facility platforms with more than 50 tech enterprises.

The district's comprehensive national science center is also accelerating its development. Wang Tianyi, director of the exchange, cooperation and talent work division of Huairou's science city management committee, noted that the center produced 67 major scientific and technological achievements in the first half of the year, bringing the cumulative total to 506. It also secured eight new national-level awards, while a number of major scientific facilities made breakthrough progress, accelerating the transformation of scientific achievements and the layout of future industries.

The district also saw robust growth in its service and consumer sectors. Revenue in information transmission, software and information technology services grew by 11.2 percent year-on-year, while the financial sector's net income increased by 15.3 percent. Driven by a recovering consumer market, the turnover of the accommodation and catering industry rose by 30.5 percent. Consequently, the per capita disposable income of all residents reached 30,371 yuan, representing a 5.2 percent increase.

Market vitality continued to surge, fueled by an optimized business environment. In the first half of the year, Huairou registered 5,791 new market entities, a remarkable 76 percent increase compared to the same period last year. The district's opening-up efforts also yielded significant results, with the actual utilization of foreign investment hitting $355 million, skyrocketing by 472 percent.

Additionally, the district's culture, sports and entertainment industries above a designated size generated 1.96 billion yuan in revenue in the first half, with a growth rate of 71.3 percent, significantly outpacing the city's average.

The broadcasting, television, film and sound recording sector served as the core engine, realizing 1.32 billion yuan in revenue. Meanwhile, the culture and arts sector brought in 300 million yuan, the sports sector 94.09 million yuan and the entertainment sector 250 million yuan.