Shanxi maintains stable economic recovery in Jan-May

Shanxi province's economic performance from January to May was recently released by the local statistics bureau, showing steady growth in industrial production, rapid surge in market consumption, and overall stability in employment and prices.

From January to May, the added value of the province's industries above a designated size increased by 3.5 percent.

The province achieved a continuous and secure supply of coal, gas, and electricity, with the coal and unconventional natural gas output increasing by 4.9 percent and by 6.7 percent, respectively, and the amount of electricity generation amount growing by 7.6 percent. 

The province's fixed asset investment fell by 1.8 percent, which was 0.1 percentage points narrowed compared with the decline between January and April. 

Market sales experienced fast growth, with the total retail sales of consumer goods reaching 312.95 billion yuan ($43.23 billion), up 8.1 percent year-on-year. 

The tourism market continued to recover. Key tourist attractions in Shanxi received 30.40 million visits during the past five months, a growth of 1.9 times, and generated 1.65 billion yuan in operating revenue, up 2.3-fold times. 

The fiscal revenue and expenditure also saw rapid growth. The general public budget revenue and expenditure amounted to 163.97 billion yuan and 231.25 billion yuan, up 8.6 percent and 7.6 percent, respectively. 

From January to May, the consumer price index in the province increased moderately by 0.6 percent. In addition, 201,000 people in urban Shanxi gained employment, achieving 44.7 percent of the annual target.