|
China's economy enters key period of soft landing
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-10-09 08:38
China's economy is now at a key period for soft landing in light of growing
investment, the driving force of its fast economic expansion, according to a
report by a task force for the State Development and Reform Commission.
China's growth of investment has been moving in the direction of coordinated
and stable development during the first eight months of this year. "The whole
macro-economy and investment has entered a key period of soft landing,"
according to a report published by a recent edition of the China Securities
Journal.
Urban investment during the eight months totaled 4.115 trillion yuan (508
billion US dollars), up 27.4 percent year-on-year, or 2.9 percentage points
lower than those for the past two years , the report says.
The growth rate of investment has now been on a gradually stable and rational
track, according to the report.
China began to curb investment in overheating sectors such as cement,
aluminium, steel and real estate early last year through tightened money and
land supply.
Meanwhile, China encouraged investment in agriculture, energy, education and
transportation for coordinated economic and social development.
China faces a critical shortage of energy due to increasing demand arising
from fast economic development since 1978.
The economy has been growing at an annual average of 9.4 percent.
The report says the trend for China's investment and financing is stable
decline as a result of two-year macroeconomic regulation.
The output and performance of downstream sectors, as indicated by the
country's processing sector, the engine of the country's economy, is now
contracting, the report says.
That will relatively reduce demand for raw material and other middle stream
products, and for energy and other upstream products, it says.
Contracting demand from the perspective of external and domestic trade
indicate the expansion of investment and financing will be restrained.
The year-on-year growth of China's sales revenues of manufactured goods for
the eight months stood at 27.6 percent, down by 5 percentage points, although
overall revenues of retail trade and housing were still growing.
China's foreign trade grew by 23.5 percent during the eight months, down by
14.7 percentage points.
The report said China should be prudent in regulating the scale of investment
and financing to maintain stable investment growth, and continue its prudent
fiscal and monetary policies for a new cycle of economic growth.
The task force also urged the Chinese Government to open up its capital market
for private business to ease the difficulty in financing as experienced by the
country's medium- and small firms.
It also called on the government to increase money and land supply to what
are called three economic growth belts -- the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River
Delta and Bohai Economic Belt.
The Yangtze River Delta includes Shanghai, the country's biggest city and an
emerging international financial, business and shipping center. The Pearl River
delta, which borders Hong Kong, is known as the country's major foreign trade
player.
The Bohai Economic Belt contains Beijing and the port city of Tianjin, two of
the country's four municipalities under the direct jurisdiction of the Chinese
Government.
The taskforce said China should continue its efforts to encourage investment
in the agriculture, transportation and education sectors while boosting domestic
demand through increasing products and services affordable to middle and low
income groups.
|
