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China's 2004 Top Ten Valuable Figures

1300 level

September 9, 2004, the Shanghai Stock Exchange dropped below 1,300, the lowest level during the recent five years, ending at 1,284.31. As the market’s “bottom line” broke down, the government and the Securities Regulatory Commission heard urgent calls to “reinforce the functions of stock market” and to “save the market.”

US$1.1 trillion

China's total foreign trade volume reached US$1.1 trillion in 2004, according to Long Guoqiang, an official from The Development Research Centre of the State Council. The export volume was US$560 billion, with a surplus of US$20 billion.

0.46

In 2004, China’s overall income Gini coefficient of urban and rural citizens reached 0.46, higher than the international Gini coefficient warning limit of 0.4, which means the inequality in urban and rural incomes in China is growing fast. Statistics indicate a sharp rise in the income gap between the rich and poor. Financial assets owned by the richest households are 359 times more than the poorest ones.

202 percent

According to statistical reports, the growth rate of China’s steel investments will soar to 202 percent in 2005. A survey reveals that the actual demand for steel in 2010 will be 310 million tons. The production capacity of 2005 will be enough to meet the total demand of steel in 2010, a phenomenon of overheated investment. We can find the same problem in the fields of real estate, automobiles and construction materials.

100 billion yuan

Bird flu first struck China on January 27, 2004. Live chickens were buried, drowned, or cudgelled. On March 16, the nation reported the elimination of all 49 cases of bird flu. As a result of the unexpected epidemic, some trade partners suspended the importation of chickens from China, which caused a loss of more than 100 billion yuan.

5 trillion yuan

As of December 2004, the total retail volume of China’s consumer goods reached 5 trillion yuan, a significant milestone in the market. Still, the bulky figure seems small if considered in light of the potential of China’s rapidly developing consumer market.. A positive cycle in the consumer market will make the people’s “happiness index” climb.

10 trillion yuan

China’s GDP was 12 trillion yuan in 2004 a 10 trillion yuan increase over 1991’s 2 trillion. The high growth rate, however, came with an environmental deficit and has prompted suggestions that the Chinese consider what has been lost during their intensive exploitation of natural resources.

US$555.25 billion

As of the end of October 2004, China had accumulatively approved 500,000 foreign-invested companies with a total foreign investment of US$555.25 billion. Foreign investment accounts for about one-tenth of the total investment in fixed assets each year, while the trade volume of foreign invested companies exceeded half of the total. 

18 percent

The 500 Fast Asia-Pacific list for 2004 was recently released.. It showed that Chinese companies are rising in rank. Ninety Chinese companies were listed and accounted for 18 percent of the total. Among them, six companies ranked in the top 20, four of which offer promising Internet or wireless value added services.

48 percent

An official survey reports the growth rate of China’s investment in fixed assets rose by 48 percent suggesting improvement in the nation’s infrastructural condition. Experts said the momentum of growth is not expected to continue.