Press conference held to announce Hechi’s economic indicators

The gross regional product (GDP) of Hechi increased from 62.42 billion yuan ($9.75 billion) in 2015 to 92.77 billion yuan in 2020, giving it an average annual growth rate of 6 percent, according to a press conference held to "Celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the CPC, Build Exceptionally Beautiful Guangxi" on June 10.

The city's 765,200 rural poor people were all lifted out of poverty, and 817 poor villages, 10 poor counties and districts were removed from the poor list.

Hechi has sought to optimize its industrial structure and speed up its transformation and growth. Its mulberry growing area stands at 930,000 mu (62,000 hectares), ranking first among prefecture-level cities in China for 16 consecutive years. The newly-increased area of camellia oil planting, with a total area of 1.69 million mu, has ranked first in Guangxi for three years. Walnuts cover an area of 2.6 million mu, and a 330,000-mu demonstration base has been built. The amount of beef cattle and mutton sheep ranks first in the whole region. A total of 2,184 agricultural demonstration zones have been built, ranking among the top in the region.

Hechi is continuing to develop its industrial parks. Its total industrial output value  reached 35.1 billion yuan in 2020, 15 percent higher than in 2015. The development of its logistics industry has been accelerated. The coverage of e-commerce reached 81.8 percent in rural areas.

Meanwhile, the city has invested a total of 61.9 billion yuan in the construction of transport infrastructure, and the mileage of the city's expressways is now 570 kilometers.

In addition, a total of 1.44 billion yuan was invested in the construction of reservoirs. The construction of Yizhou district is progressing steadily, and the construction of the Hechi expo venue is accelerating.

Hechi also pays attention to ecological protection. The city has built 28 4A-level scenic spots, 24 3A-level scenic spots, and 44 natural protected areas. The forest coverage rate has increased from 68.68 percent in 2015 to 71.32 percent in 2021. The environmental quality remains among the highest in China.