Mar. 2 – The State Bureau of Statistics recently released the National Economic and Social Development Statistic Communiqué 2009 which showed improvement in the overall situation of the national economy and new progress being made in social undertakings.

The report confirmed and illustrated a set of plans and policies issued by Beijing to cope with the international financial crisis last year, including the government-issued RMB4 trillion stimulus plans.

China’s GDP throughout the year stood at RMB33.53 trillion, a year-on-year increase of 8.7 percent, according to the Ministry of Commerce. GDP growth was fueled largely by social fixed asset investments of RMB22.48 trillion, up 30.1 percent from last year. Inflation remained low in 2009, with a decrease in the consumer price index (CPI) of 0.7 percent.

In terms of geographical allocation, the report showed investment in central and western China was more than that in the east and northeast, which is nice to see after years of growth dominated by the coastal provinces.