Latest statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) show that in the first half of this year, China's industrial sector enjoyed an 11 percent growth on a year-on-year base.

The NBS report attributed the rapid growth to China's continual policy of expanding domestic demand in the period.

Statistics show that in the January-June period, the industrial sector registered 1,281.1 billion yuan (US$154.33 billion) in added value. In June, the value-added stood at 239.8 billion yuan, up 10.1 percent over the same period of last year.

State-owned companies registered a 9.5 percent of growth in the first six months but the report noted that foreign-funded companies contributed the lion's part to the industrial growth.

The report said that stimulated by the policy of expanding domestic demand, basic and upriver products are in high demand, which promoted the rapid development of heavy industry. In the first six months of this year, the heavy industry enjoyed a 12.7 percent growth while the light industry witnessing a 9.2 percent rise.

Manufacturing of electronics and telecommunication equipment, metallurgy, and transport equipment manufacturing are the major contributor to the industrial growth, said the report.

In the first half of this year, 96.75 percent of products are sold out, said the statistics. The figure is 0.12 percentage points lower than that in the same period last year.

The government continued a policy of production control in industries like coal, metallurgy, building material and petrochemical industries this year, which helped further readjust its industrial structure.

In the January-June period, industrial sector exported 708.5 billion yuan-worth goods, up 11.1 percent on a year-on-year base. But the growth rate is 16.1 percentage points lower than in the same period last year.

The report summarized that the fast growth of industrial sector in the first half of this year has set a good foundation for the economic development for the whole year. It admitted that the industrial growth rate in the second half of this year may slow considerably due to a downward trend of export growth and the higher base in the second half of last year.

(Xinhua News Agency 07/10/2001)