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Read in Chinese

Speakers:

Kang Yi, commissioner of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS)

Fu Linghui, spokesperson of the NBS and director general of the Department of Comprehensive Statistics of the NBS

Chairperson:

Shou Xiaoli, deputy director general of the Press Bureau of the State Council Information Office (SCIO) and spokesperson of the SCIO

Date:

Jan. 17, 2023

Shou Xiaoli:

Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Welcome to this press conference held by the State Council Information Office (SCIO). Today, we are joined by Mr. Kang Yi, commissioner of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), who will introduce the situation and answer your questions. We also have with us Mr. Fu Linghui, spokesperson of the NBS and director general of the Department of Comprehensive Statistics of the NBS. 

Now, I'll give the floor to Mr. Kang for a brief introduction.

Kang Yi:

Ladies and gentlemen, friends from the media, good morning! Welcome to today's press conference. It's a great pleasure to meet you. I'll begin by introducing China's economic performance in 2022 and then answer your questions.

In 2022, faced with challenges of high winds and choppy waters in the global environment as well as arduous tasks to advance reform, promote development, and maintain stability at home, under the strong leadership of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, all regions and departments strictly implemented the decisions and arrangements made by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, adhered to the general working guideline of making progress while maintaining stability, coordinated the work of epidemic prevention and control and economic and social development in an effective way, and responded to the internal and external challenges effectively. As a result, the national economy continued to develop despite downward pressure, the economic output reached a new level, employment and prices were generally stable, people's lives were continuously improved, new achievements were secured in high-quality development, and the overall economic and social development was stable and healthy.

According to preliminary estimates, the gross domestic product (GDP) was 121,020.7 billion yuan in 2022, an increase of 3% over last year at constant prices. Looking at industries at various levels, the value added of the primary industry was 8,834.5 billion yuan, up by 4.1% over last year; the value added of the secondary industry was 48,316.4 billion yuan, up by 3.8%; and the value added of the tertiary industry was 63,869.8 billion yuan, up by 2.3%. In terms of quarterly data, the GDP in the first quarter was up 4.8% year on year, up 0.4% in the second quarter, up 3.9% in the third quarter, and up 2.9% in the fourth quarter. The quarter-on-quarter growth of GDP in the fourth quarter stayed the same as in the third quarter.

First, the grain output increased and production of animal husbandry grew steadily. 

The total output of grain in 2022 was 686.53 million metric tons, an increase of 3.68 million metric tons over the previous year, or up by 0.5%. Of this total, the output of summer grain was 147.4 million metric tons, up by 1%, and that of early rice was 28.12 million metric tons, up by 0.4%. The output of autumn grain reached 511 million metric tons, up by 0.4%. By species, the output of rice was 208.49 million metric tons, down by 2%; wheat, 137.72 million metric tons, up by 0.6%; corn, 277.2 million metric tons, up by 1.7%; soybeans, 20.28 million metric tons, up by 23.7%. The output of oil-bearing crops was 36.53 million metric tons, up by 1.1%. The total output of pork, beef, mutton, and poultry in 2022 was 92.27 million metric tons, up by 3.8% over the previous year. Of this total, the output of pork was 55.41 million metric tons, up by 4.6%; beef, 7.18 million metric tons, up by 3%; mutton, 5.25 million metric tons, up by 2%; poultry, 24.43 million metric tons, up by 2.6%. The production of milk reached 39.32 million metric tons, up by 6.8% and that of eggs stood at 34.56 million metric tons, up by 1.4%. At the end of 2022, 452.56 million pigs were in stock, up by 0.7%, and 699.95 million pig were slaughtered in 2022, up by 4.3%.

Second, industrial production experienced sustained development, and high-tech manufacturing and equipment manufacturing grew by leaps and bounds. 

The total value added of industrial enterprises above the designated size increased by 3.6% over the previous year. In terms of sectors, the value added of mining was up by 7.3%, the value of manufacturing went up by 3%, and the value of production and supply of electricity, thermal power, gas, and water increased by 5%. The value added of the high-tech manufacturing and equipment manufacturing went up by 7.4% and 5.6%, respectively, 3.8 percentage points and 2 percentage points faster than the value added of industrial enterprises above the designated size. In terms of ownership, the value added of state holding enterprises grew by 3.3%, that of the share-holding enterprises went up by 4.8%, that of the enterprises funded by foreign investors and investors from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan dropped by 1%, and that of private enterprises grew by 2.9%. By products, the production of new energy vehicles, mobile communication base stations, and industrial control computer and system grew by 97.5%, 16.3%, and 15%, respectively. In December, the total value added of the industrial enterprises above the designated size grew by 1.3% year on year, up by 0.06% month on month. In the first 11 months, the total profits made by industrial enterprises above the designated size were 7,718 billion yuan, down by 3.6% year on year.

Third, the service sector sustained its recovery with modern service industries demonstrating a sound momentum of growth. 

The value added of services went up by 2.3% year on year in 2022. The value added of information transmission, software, and information technology services and that of financial services grew by 9.1% and 5.6%, respectively. In December, the Index of Services Production went down by 0.8% year on year, the decline narrowed by 1.1 percentage points compared with that of the previous month. In the first 11 months, the business revenue of service enterprises above the designated size grew by 3.9% year on year, of which the revenues of the information transmission, software, and information technology services, scientific research and technology services, and health and social services went up by 8.3%, 8.3%, and 8.1%, respectively.

Fourth, the scale of market sales was basically stable with sales of basic living goods and online retail sales growing at a fast pace. 

In 2022, the total retail sales of consumer goods reached 43,973.3 billion yuan, down by 0.2% over the previous year. Analyzing by different areas, the retail sales in urban areas reached 38,044.8 billion yuan, down by 0.3%. The retail sales in rural areas stood at 5,928.5 billion yuan, the same as that of the previous year. Grouped by consumption patterns, retail sales totaled 39,579.2 billion yuan, up by 0.5%, and the revenue of food and beverage amounted to 4,394.1 billion yuan, down by 6.3%. Spending on basic living goods increased steadily, with the retail sales of grain, oil, and food and that of beverages by enterprises above the designated size growing by 8.7% and 5.3%, respectively, over the previous year. In 2022, the national online retail sales reached 13,785.3 billion yuan, growing by 4% over 2021. Specifically, the online retail sales of physical goods totaled 11,964.2 billion yuan, up by 6.2%, accounting for 27.2% of the total retail sales of consumer goods. In December, the total retail sales of consumer goods went down by 1.8% year on year, a decline narrowed by 4.1 percentage points than that of the previous month and a month-on-month decline of 0.14%.

Fifth, investment in fixed assets increased steadily, and investment in high-tech industries maintained a good momentum of growth.

In 2022, investment in fixed assets (excluding rural households) reached 57,213.8 billion yuan, up by 5.1% over the previous year. Specifically, infrastructure investment went up by 9.4%, manufacturing investment grew by 9.1%, and investment in real estate development declined by 10%. The floor space of commercial buildings sold reached 1,358.37 million square meters, down by 24.3%. The total sales of commercial buildings was 13,330.8 billion yuan, down by 26.7%. By industries, the investment in the primary, secondary, and tertiary industries went up by 0.2%, 10.3%, and 3%, respectively. Private investment went up by 0.9%. Investment in high-tech industries grew by 18.9%, 13.8 percentage points faster than total investment growth. Specifically, investment in high-tech manufacturing and high-tech services grew by 22.2% and 12.1%, respectively. Among investments in high-tech manufacturing, those in manufacturing of medical equipment, measuring instruments and meters grew by 27.6%, and electronics and communication equipment manufacturing grew by 27.2%. In terms of high-tech services, investment in services for transformation of scientific and technological achievements and investment in research, development, and design services went up by 26.4% and 19.8%, respectively. Investment in the social sector went up by 10.9%. Specifically, investments in health and education went up by 27.3% and 5.4%, respectively. In December, investment in fixed assets (excluding rural households) grew by 0.49% month on month.

Six, import and export of goods grew fast, and the trade structure continued to receive optimization.

In 2022, the total value of import and export of goods was 42,067.8 billion yuan, an increase of 7.7% over last year. The total value of export was 23,965.4 billion yuan, up by 10.5%; the total value of import was 18,102.4 billion yuan, up by 4.3%. The country registered a trade surplus of 5,863 billion yuan. The import and export of general trade goods increased by 11.5%, accounting for 63.7% of the total value of import and export, an increase of 2.2 percentage points compared with last year. The import and export of private enterprises grew by 12.9%, accounting for 50.9% of the total value of import and export, 2.3 percentage points higher than that of last year. The import and export of mechanical and electrical products grew by 2.5%, accounting for 49.1% of the total value of import and export. In December, the total value of import and export of goods was 3,771.3 billion yuan, up by 0.6% year on year. Specifically, the total value of imports was 1,610.6 billion yuan, up by 2.2%, the total value of exports was 2,160.7 billion yuan, down by 0.5%. 

Seventh, consumer price saw mild growth, and growth of producer prices for industrial products went down.

In 2022, the consumer price index (CPI) went up by 2% over last year. Grouped by commodity categories, prices of food, tobacco, and alcohol went up by 2.4%; prices of clothing grew by 0.5%; housing prices increased by 0.7%; prices of articles and services for daily use went up by 1.2%; transportation and communication prices were up by 5.2%; prices of education, culture, and recreation grew by 1.8%; medical services and health care prices went up by 0.6%; and prices of other articles and services increased by 1.6%. In terms of food, tobacco, and alcohol prices, pork went down by 6.8%, grain up by 2.8%, fresh vegetables up by 2.8%, and fresh fruits up by 12.9%. Core CPI excluding the prices of food and energy went up by 0.9%. In December, consumer prices went up by 1.8% year on year, and maintained the same level of growth month on month. In 2022, producer prices for industrial products went up by 4.1% over last year. It went down by 0.7% year on year in December, and down by 0.5% month on month. The purchasing prices for industrial producers went up by 6.1% over last year, and in December, it went up by 0.3% year on year, and down by 0.4% month on month.

Eight, employment was generally stable, and surveyed unemployment rate in urban areas dropped slightly.

In 2022, 12.06 million people in urban areas became newly employed, exceeding the expected annual goal of 11 million. In December, the surveyed unemployment rate in urban areas was 5.5%, 0.2 percentage point lower than the previous month. The surveyed unemployment rate of people with local household registrations was 5.4%, and that of people with non-local household registration was 5.7%. The surveyed unemployment rate of people with non-local agricultural household registration stood at 5.4%. Specifically, the surveyed unemployment rate of the people aged from 16 to 24 was 16.7%, 0.4 percentage point lower than that of the previous month; that of people aged from 25 to 59 was 4.8%, 0.2 percentage point lower than that of the previous month. The urban surveyed unemployment rate in 31 major cities was 6.1%, 0.6 percentage point lower than that of the previous month. The employees of enterprises worked 47.9 hours per week on average. In 2022, the number of rural migrant workers totaled 295.62 million, 3.11 million more than that of last year, up by 1.1%. Specifically, 123.72 million of them were local migrant workers working in the vicinity of their place of home, up by 2.4%; while 171.9 million worked at more distant places in their home province or in regions far away, up by 0.1%. The average monthly income of migrant workers was 4,615 yuan, up by 4.1% over last year.

Ninth, resident income grew generally at the same pace as economic growth, and income of rural residents grew faster than that of urban residents.

In 2022, the nationwide per capita disposable income of residents was 36,883 yuan, a nominal increase of 5% over that of last year, and a real increase of 2.9% after deducting price factors, which was generally at the same pace with the growth of the economy. In terms of permanent residents, the per capita disposable income of urban households was 49,283 yuan, a nominal growth of 3.9% and a real growth of 1.9% after deducting price factors. The per capita disposable income of rural households was 20,133 yuan, a nominal growth of 6.3% and a real growth of 4.2% after deducting price factors. The median of the nationwide per capita disposable income was 31,370 yuan, a nominal increase of 4.7% over that of last year. Taking the per capita disposable income of nationwide households by income quintile, that of the low-income group reached 8,601 yuan, the lower-middle income group 19,303 yuan, the middle income group 30,598 yuan, the upper-middle income group 47,397 yuan, and the high income group 90,116 yuan. In 2022, the nationwide per capita consumption expenditure was 24,538 yuan, a nominal growth of 1.8%, or a real decline of 0.2% after deducting price factors.

Tenth, total population declined and urbanization rate continued to grow.

By the end of 2022, the national population was 1,411.75 million (including the population of 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities, as well as military service personnel, but excluding residents of Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan and foreign nationals residing in the 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities), a decrease of 0.85 million over that at the end of 2021. In 2022, the number of births was 9.56 million with a birth rate of 6.77‰; the number of deaths was 10.41 million with a mortality rate of 7.37‰; the natural population growth rate was minus 0.6‰. In terms of gender, the male population was 722.06 million, and the female population was 689.69 million; the sex ratio of the total population was 104.69 males to 100 females. In terms of age structure, the population in the working age group from 16 to 59 was 875.56 million, accounting for 62% of the total population; the population aged 60 and over was 280.04 million, accounting for 19.8% of the total; the population aged 65 and over was 209.78 million, accounting for 14.9% of the total. In terms of urban-rural structure, permanent residents in urban areas totaled 920.71 million, an increase of 6.46 million over the end of the previous year; and permanent residents in rural areas amounted to 491.04 million, a decrease of 7.31 million. The share of urban population in the total population (urbanization rate) was 65.22%, 0.5 percentage point higher than that at the end of the previous year.

Generally speaking, positive results have been achieved in effectively coordinating COVID-19 prevention and control and economic and social development in 2022, with stabilized macroeconomic performance, continuously expanded economic output, and steadily improved development quality. However, the foundation of domestic economic recovery is not solid as the international situation is still complicated and severe, while the domestic triple pressure of demand contraction, supply shock, and weakening expectations is still looming. In the next stage, we must take Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the guideline, fully implement the guiding principles of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China as well as the decisions and arrangements made by the Central Economic Work Conference, make economic stability our top priority, and pursue progress while ensuring stability. We will better coordinate epidemic prevention and control with economic and social development, ensure better coordination in pursuing development and upholding security, deepen reform and opening-up in all respects, boost market confidence and stabilize growth, employment, and prices, so as to promote overall improvement of economic performance, and achieve effective enhancement of quality and reasonable growth of quantity.

That's all for my introduction. Thank you.

Shou Xiaoli:

Thank you for your introduction, Mr. Kang. Now we will open the floor for questions. Please identify the media outlet you represent before raising a question.