WEDZ's GDP up 8% in H1

An aerial view of Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone. [Photo/WeChat account: whkfq]

The GDP of Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone (WEDZ) amounted to 100.30 billion yuan ($13.79 billion) in the first half of this year, an 8.0 percent increase compared to the previous year.

The primary, secondary, and tertiary industries made up 0.7 percent, 62.6 percent, and 36.7 percent of GDP, respectively, indicating a continuous optimization of the industrial structure.

The total output value of WEDZ's agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery industries grew by 2.1 percent year-on-year over the same period. In the second quarter, major agricultural products saw rapid growth, with vegetable and edible mushroom production increasing by 1.69 percent year-on-year, live pig inventory rising by 9.09 percent, and live poultry output up by 5.10 percent.

The added value of industrial enterprises above designated size increased by 9.1 percent year-on-year from January to June, with the total output value of these enterprises nearing 180 billion yuan, up 7.1 percent year-on-year.

The new energy vehicle manufacturing industry grew by 128.2 percent, while the intelligent vehicle equipment manufacturing industry increased by 55.4 percent.

The information technology service industry is rapidly expanding as well. From January to May, the zone's modern service industry maintained a fast growth rate, with the operating income of service enterprises above designated size increasing by 12.5 percent year-on-year.

The consumer market in WEDZ continues to show vitality, with rapid growth in new energy vehicle sales. The total retail sales of consumer goods increased by 11.9 percent year-on-year, with wholesale growing by 12.0 percent, retail by 12.1 percent, accommodation by 5.2 percent, and catering by 10.6 percent.

In the first half of the year, WEDZ completed fixed asset investments totaling 45.76 billion yuan and secured 57 major projects worth over 1 billion yuan each, with a total contracted industrial investment of 129.68 billion yuan.

Foreign direct investment exceeded $500 million, and from January to May, imports and exports reached 19.01 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 50.3 percent.