The year 2007 is the first year after the ending of China’s five-year transition period as a member of the World Trade Organization. In the year, China was further integrated into the world economy and maintained good momentum of stable and fast development. Its gross domestic product (GDP) ranked fourth in the world, up from sixth in 2006. The employment rate was stable, income of residents increased, and people’s living standard was enhanced. The year also witnessed the deepening of the building of the new socialist countryside. Free compulsory education was made available to all rural students. Basic frameworks for a public health system and a system of basic medical services covering both urban and rural areas were initially established. Environmental protection made progress. Emissions of carbon dioxide and chemical oxygen demand decreased for the first time. The efforts to build an innovation-oriented country made new headway. What affected China’s economy most in 2007 was the structural rise in consumer prices.

      GDP: 24.953 trillion yuan, up 11.9 percent over 2006.

      Fixed Assets Investment: 13.7239 trillion yuan, up 24.8 percent over 2006.

      Total Retail Sales of Consumer Goods: 8.921 trillion yuan, up 16.8 percent over 2006.

      Foreign Trade: $2.1738 trillion, up 23.5 percent over 2006.

      Foreign Exchange Reserves: $1.5282 trillion, an increase of $461.9 billion as compared with that at the end of the pervious year.

      Foreign Direct Investment: 37,871 enterprises with foreign direct investment established in non-financial sectors, down 8.7 percent; paid-in foreign capital totaling $74.8 billion, up 13.6 percent over 2006.

      Overseas Direct Investment: $18.7 billion in non-financial sectors, up 6.2 percent over 2006.

      Consumer Price Index: Up 4.8 percent over 2006, with prices for meat, poultry and their products increasing 31.7 percent, the highest among all categories.

      Amount of Expenditures on Research and Development Activities: 366.4 billion yuan, up 22 percent over 2006 and accounting for 1.49 percent of GDP.

      Number of Employed People: 769.9 million, 5.9 million more than that in 2006.

      Per-capita Net Income of Rural Residents: 4,140 yuan, or a real increase of 9.5 percent over 2006 after adjusting for inflation.

      Per-capita Disposable Income of Urban Residents: 13,786 yuan, or a real increase of 12.2 percent after adjusting for inflation.

      Public Health: 315,000 health institutions and 4.68 million health workers at the end of 2007.

      Registered Motor Vehicles for Civilian Use: 56.97 million at the end of 2007, up 14.3 percent over 2006; private vehicles numbering 35.34 million, up 20.8 percent.

      Tourism: 131.87 million inbound tourists to China, a year-on-year rise of 5.5 percent; 40.95 million outbound Chinese tourists, up 18.6 percent.

      Energy Consumption: 2.65 billion tons of standard coal equivalent, up 7.8 percent over 2006.

      City Sewage Treatment: Daily treatment capacity of city sewage reaching 70 million cubic meters, up 10 percent over 2006; city sewage treatment rate standing at 59 percent, up 3.3 percentage points.

      Losses From Natural Disasters: 236.3 billion yuan, down 6.5 percent.