Jilin celebrates three decades of progress with economic boom
2009-03-17

Northeast China's Jilin province is celebrating three decades of consistent progress since China's opening up and reform process began in the late 1970s.
Senior figures in the province have identified a number of landmarks that have paved the ways to the province's current economic buoyancy.
In 1978, the province's gross domestic product (GDP) was only 8.2 billion yuan, whilst, during the first three quarters of 2008, the figure increased to 400.8 billion yuan.
In 1978, total revenue was only 1.64 billion yuan, whilst, again during the first three quarters of 2008, the figure reached 30.76 billion yuan.
A closer look at the locally sourced revenue of the province reveals a number of interesting statistics. Initially, it took nine years for the province to drive revenue from 5 billion yuan to 10 billion yuan; then five years from 10 billion yuan to 20 billion yuan; and only two years from 20 billion yuan to 30 billion yuan.
These figures are most significant in the rural areas, which have seen farmers' income surge significantly. The average per capita income was 180 yuan in 1978, whilst in 2008, the figure rose to 4,600 yuan. This was accompanied by the levels of grain output jumping from 9.1 billion kg to 23.5 billion kg annually.
In urban areas, the industrial output rose from 11 billion yuan in 1978 to 648.6 billion yuan in 2007. Per capita income grew from 400 yuan in 1978 to 11,000 yuan last year.
The figures demonstrate the huge changes in the province that have seen the construction of a vast number of new residential buildings, widened streets and a new commitment to renovation and restoration of the urban areas.
Farmers' motivation
In a bid to enhance the production process, a number of levels of local government have streamlined their administrative procedures and promised still greater support for farmers in the future. As a result, the province's grain output and per capita grain production levels have remained at the top of national league tables for 20 years.
In 2005, the total output of agricultural products reached a record of 100 billion yuan, becoming another key sector of the province's economy, alongside the auto and chemical industries.
Apart from agricultural production, the animal husbandry sector has become another powerful growth engine in the province. During the first half of last year, the total number of pigs exported to other provinces reached 3.9 million heads, cattle export hit 600,000 heads, and sheep export jumped to 35.12 million heads.
New vigor
For Jilin, not only the agricultural sector gets the "thumbs up", but also the automotive sector, which has been reinvigorated by the economic resurgence in the rest of the province.
FAW, China's leading auto enterprise, is based in Jilin. It took the company 22 years to expand its production from 30,000 units to 60,000 units. Some staff members of FAW still recall celebrating the record-breaking 60,000 units in 1978.
However, in 2004, the total production hit a new milestone when FAW manufactured 1 million units for the first time. Now FAW is a group of 27 wholly-owned associated companies, 17 partly-owned ventures, three listed companies and with total assets of 131.7 billion yuan. The FAW is now ranked in the Fortune Global 500 enterprises with a turnover of 60.6 billion yuan.
Aside from FAW, a number of brand-names, large-sized State-owned businesses and private enterprises have developed impressively in the province during the past 30 years.
During the first three quarters of 2008, the incremental value of the province's large-scale enterprises reached 188.9 billion yuan, up 20.4 percent year-on-year.
Moreover, the number of the province's private enterprises reached 77,000 by the end of 2007. Total profits in the sector reached 7.6 billion, up 63.3 percent year-on-year. Their contribution to the province's GDP has continued to grow steadily in recent years.
In another development, rapid levels of investment have continued to drive Jillin's economy. Since China adopted a policy of revitalizing its traditional industrial bases in Northeast China, fixed asset investment has risen continually. In 2005-07, the total fixed asset investment hit 860 billion yuan, 100 billion higher than the total capital during the ninth and 10th Five-year Plan period (1995-2004).
The investment growth exceeded the national average for three consecutive years with per capita investment exceeding 10,000 yuan.
As a result, many major projects have been launched in the province. These have included initiatives in the areas of power generation, railway expansion, airport construction, ethylene production, corn deep processing and grain plantation.
In 2008, the number of newly added investment projects with capital injection above 30 million yuan each numbered 2,612, a far higher figure than any seen in the past,
In a bid to meet the rising demand in construction and investment, the province has also launched a number of new initiatives aimed at improving its infrastructure.
These have included an expansion of the province's expressway network, which has risen from 540 km to 900 km. The province has also been home to the launch of the nation's first dedicated forestry airport, the Changbai Mountain Airport that opened last year.
An additional number of developments can also be attributed to the province's strategy of "boosting Jilin through science and technology". By the end of 2007, a total of 5,190 research institutes had been set up in the province with a total research staff of 92,728.
Currently, Jilin's workforce is set to work still greater wonders. The province has mapped out a plan to see GDP hit 1 trillion yuan in 2011 and per capita GDP surge to $4,000.
(China Daily 03/12/2009 page14)

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