HAIKOU /China/, July 3. /TASS/. Capital investments in Haikou city in the southern Chinese province of Hainan rose 9.4% year on year in January-May and output in the automobile industry increased almost one and a half times. The Haikou Daily newspaper reported this with reference to the city's customs service.

The statistics show that in the first five months, the added value of the city's major industrial enterprises increased by 12.2% year-on-year. Growth was recorded in almost all industries. Power generation increased by 20.3% year-on-year. The pharmaceutical industry increased 15.2%, alcoholic beverages and processed tea production rose 17.7%, and electrical equipment production rose 17%.

Total retail sales of consumer goods in the first five months of the year rose 12.9% to 45.7 billion yuan ($6.3 billion). In this case, retail sales of duty-free goods offline amounted to 7.7 billion yuan (67% growth). High performance was recorded in catering, which amounted to 2.93 billion yuan ($406.9 million) in January-May, an increase of 15.8% compared to the same period in 2022.

As for the automobile industry, sales of vehicles powered by alternative energy sources grew by 23.5% during this period. Such cars in China include not only electric cars, but also cars with hybrid engines and hydrogen fuel cells.