Guangdong province witnessed a solid start of the 11th "Five-Year Plan" period (2006-2010), as the province's economic growth rate hit 13.7 percent in the fist quarter of 2006, up 1.5 percent compared with the same period last year and 3.5 % higher than China's average level, according to the latest data from Guangdong Statistics Bureau.

In year 2006, Guangdong province expects its GDP to increase by 9 percent and its energy consumption per unit of GDP to drop by 3 percent. The retail sales of commodity goods, fixed asset investments and foreign trade will increase by 14 percent, 15 percent and 10 percent respectively. The CPI, the urban registered unemployment rate and the natural growth of the population will be kept within 3 percent, 3.8 percent and 0.75 percent respectively. The local government's fiscal revenue, the urban residents' disposable income and rural workers' net income will increase by 10 percent, 7 percent and 4.5 percent respectively.

In a bid to fulfill these targets, efforts will be focused on the following six major aspects of work:

1. Enhancing the independent innovation capacity.
The government will strive to strengthen its innovative ability by setting up regional innovation systems and encouraging innovations. Guangzhou and Shenzhen, China's key cities in innovation capacity building, shall seek faster development.

2. Promoting an economic growth mode shift and building a resource-efficient and environmentally friendly society

Efforts will be made to develop regional manufacturing and industrial centers such as the construction of PRD (Pearl River Delta) Hi-tech industry parks, automobile industry bases and a costal petrochemical industry center.
The province will develop industrial clusters by accelerating the growth of large-scale enterprise groups, which includes R&D capabilities and indigenous brand names.
Planners will promote a modern service industry, including sectors like finance, logistics, business and trade, exhibitions and business agencies.

3. Growing globalization

The province will further optimize its investments to attract multinational corporations to invest in hi-tech, petrochemical, automobile and modern service industries. Planners will encourage the exports of high-tech products, software, electrical and mechanical products. The government encourages enterprises to invest abroad, forming manufacture bases, research centers and market networks. Further efforts will also be made to support promising local companies to become multinational corporations. Cooperation in the Pan-PRD and the greater PRD regions will be further strengthened, and the economic and trade ties with ASEAN will be improved.

4. Building a new socialist countryside

Agricultural industries will develop a number of model products and infrastructure projects in rural areas. Economic planners are developing ways to increase rural residents' incomes through various channels. (See P12)

5. Accelerating the development of social programs

Improvements will be implemented in the public health care system and rural health care work, establishing disease prevention and control systems. Public sports programs promoting better health will also be promoted.
Future cultural developments include reforming the culture system, refurnishing culture-related facilities for public use, strengthening culture services in less-developed areas and promoting the Lingnan culture as well as speeding up the development of local culture industries. Skilled workers will also be recruited to work in these projects in remote areas.

6. Building a harmonious Guangdong and safeguarding social stability

Plans call for an increase in employment and reemployment in both rural and urban areas. The social security system will also be adjusted and the social justice security system will be gradually developed.

Editor: Yan