General Information

Being a world-famous "Land of abundance". Sichuan is a beautiful and miraculous Land in west China. Situated on the upper reaches of the Changjiang River, Sichuan is one of the four largest basins in China. Sichuan covers a vast area of 485000 square kilometers, accounting for 5.1% of China's total area. Sichuan has a population of 87 million now. Its climate is mild and humid in subtropical zone. Here are rich resources and beautiful mountains and rivers. Here was born MR Deng Xiao Pin-a great man of our era and the chief architect of the blue print of China's reform and opening-up and modernization drive.

GDP

In 2003, Sichuan's gross domestic product was 545.63 billion yuan, up 11.8 per cent over the previous year. The growth rate was the biggest in the past decade. Its economic strength ranked ninth in the country and first in West China.

GDP Ratio:

The proportion of its agriculture, industry and the service sector was adjusted from 21.1:40.6:38.3 in 2002 to 20.7£º41.5£º37.8 in 2003.

Foreign Trade

In 2003, Sichuan's import and export reached US$5.64 billion yuan, up 26.2 per cent over the previous year. Its exports were US$3.21 billion, up 18.5 per cent over the previous year, while its imports were US$2.43 billion, up 38.1 per cent over the previous year.

Economy:

The province is one of China's major agricultural provinces and a major industrial province. The output of major manufactured goods and farm produce such as grain, rapeseed, hog, silkworm cocoon, natural gas, coal, power output, color TV sets and chemical fertilizer holds a large proportion in the country.

Sichuan deserves the No. 1 agricultural province in China. It has been the major yielding area for grain, pig, rapeseed oil, silk cocoon, and varies cash crops and its total output tops the nationwide list.

Sichuan obtains complete industrial categories. Machine building, electronic, automobile, metallurgical, chemical, building material, food, silk, leather, etc. have been taking important positions in China. Meanwhile, a group of mainstay enterprises have formed in the province. The capacity of Sichuan's iron & steel industry is among the top 4 in China. The Chengdu Seamless Steel Tubing Plant, which is the most comprehensive biggest-sized and professional seamless steel tubing production base in China. Silk industry in Sichuan is important in China. Its silk cocoon's output and silk reeling capacity rank the first. Silk and silk ware's output rank the third. Shu embroidery is one of four famous embroideries in China.

Pillar industry:

In line with its leapfrog development strategy, Sichuan puts emphasis on development of electronic information, hydropower, machinery and metallurgical industries, beverage and food industries and tourism. The increased value of those pillar industries was 81.49 billion yuan, up 22.3 per cent over the previous year and accountion for 70.5 per cent of the scale increased value and propping up the provincial economy, the industrial economy in particular.

Transportation:

The old saying "It is more difficult to travel in Sichuan than to go up to heaven" is no longer true as a convenient communication network of railway, highway, waterway and air transport has come into being. Railways cover a total mileage of 2,693 km, consisting of five trunk lines including the Baoji-Chengdu and Chengdu-Chongqing railways, eight feeder lines and four local railways. The total mileage of highways stretches to nearly 80,000 km, ranking at the forefront in China. Now a highway network with the provincial capital of Chengdu as the center radiating to all cities in the province has been formed. A total of 500 km of expressways have been built.

There are 120 navigation routes in Sichuan covering a total distance of 6,000 km. More than 100 domestic and international airlines have been opened, leading to major cities in China and Singapore, Bangkok and Hiroshima. The province has six airports for civil aviation and Chengdu Shuangliu airport ranks the fourth in China. A modern telecommunications system has come into shape with the installation of telephone exchanges with a capacity of four million telephones. Direct dialing system has been established in more than 100 counties and direct international dialing service has opened in 17 cities.

Editor: Donald