HAIKOU /China/, 12 November. /TASS/. The output of large industrial enterprises in China's southern province of Hainan went up 8.1 % year-on-year in the first three quarters of this year, the Provincial Statistics Bureau reported.
According to the bureau's website, Hainan's light industry increased by 0.9%, while the heavy industry index increased by 11.6%. The city of Sanya, on the island's south coast, showed the strongest growth among the region's 18 key municipalities and counties, with the value added of its industrial sector tripling.
Among Hainan's 33 industries, the non-ferrous metal smelting and rolling sector was the fastest growing, with output nearly 11 times that of the same period in 2023, according to the ministry's commentary. Production of chemical products will increase by 40.5%.
The province's electricity and heat supply grew by 4.3%, while the processing of semi-finished products increased by 0.6%. Among industrial products, producers of monomers for synthetic fibres and xylene recorded the largest increases, with shipments doubling. The indicator for companies producing beverages rose by 11.6%.
In April 2018, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the establishment of a pilot free trade zone and port in Hainan. The programme aims to bring the island into the process of globalisation and international division of labour, and to lay a solid foundation for innovation. Local authorities are creating attractive conditions for investors and developing scientific and production infrastructure. According to the government's plan, by 2025 the province's business environment will reach the national level, and by 2050 the region will become a unique international cluster with an advanced economy, housing campuses of leading universities, advanced laboratories and headquarters of global corporations.