Hainan province GDP up by 6.8%

Hainan province's GDP reached 177.6 billion yuan ($26.3 billion) in the first quarter, with a year-on-year growth of 6.8 percent, officials said at a news conference in Haikou on Thursday.

In the first quarter, Hainan accelerated a series of policies and measures to promote economic growth.

The added value for primary industries was 40.73 billion yuan, up by 4.9 percent year-on-year. The added value of secondary industries was 26.8 billion yuan, a rise of 5.5 percent. And the added value of tertiary industries was 110.01 billion yuan, up by 7.7 percent from the same period last year.

The service sector, for example, picked up significantly. The added value of the accommodation and catering industry increased by 14.2 percent, while wholesale and retail was up 8.4 percent.

The total import and export volume of the province's trade in goods was 57.74 billion yuan, an annual increase of 32.5 percent.

Hainan will seek progress while maintaining stability, continue optimizing its business environment and promote high-quality economic development in the province, according to the provincial Bureau of Statistics.