China's central province Hunan reports 7.8-pct GDP growth

CHANGSHA, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Central China's Hunan Province saw its GDP grow by 7.8 percent year on year to 3.64 trillion yuan (539 billion U.S. dollars) in 2018, according to the ongoing annual session of the provincial people's congress.

The Yangtze riverside province set its 2018 GDP growth target at around 8 percent at the beginning of last year.

It targets GDP growth between 7.5 percent and 8 percent in 2019, said Xu Dazhe, governor of Hunan, who delivered the government work report at the opening meeting of the annual provincial legislative session.

Xu said the province aims to accelerate the growth of new and promising industries, such as biological medicine and energy conservation, and that it will press for upgrades in traditional industries like steel, construction and food processing. Its 2019 plan also includes adding 1,000 high-tech enterprises.

Earlier this month, Hunan's neighboring province Hubei, which also lies along the Yangtze River, estimated its GDP growth at 7.8 percent in 2018, which was "higher than the national average and better than expected."