Land Area and Population

In 2003, despite the difficulties of the SARS outbreak (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), the GDP of Hangzhou City exceeded 200 billion yuan i.e. 209.2 billion yuan, up by 15% over the previous year at comparable price.

There has been a two-digit increase for 13 consecutive years and last year saw the fastest increase since 1996.

Hangzhou’s economy continued to rank as 2nd out of the provincial capitals, 3rd out of the sub-provincial cities and 8th out of the largest cities in China. Its GDP per capita calculated in accordance with the registered population reached 32,700 yuan or 3,950 dollars on the basis of the current exchange rate, rose by 13.9%. In 2003, the total fiscal revenue of the city reached 32.971 billion yuan, an increase of 28.2% over the previous year, in which the local fiscal revenue reached 15.039 billion yuan, up by 31.3%.

International Trade

During 2003 new breakthroughs were made in attracting foreign investment. Eight hundred and sixty nine direct foreign invested projects were signed, an increase of 48% from the previous year. The contracted investment amounted to 2.001 billion dollars, a rise of 106.9%. There were 138 large projects with each contracted investment of over 10 million dollars. 1.266 billion dollars of contracted investment was utilised, which accounted for 63.3% of the total. The overall actually utilized foreign funds reached 1.009 billion dollars, a rise of 93.3%.

The scale of import and export has increased further. The total value of import and export reached 18.23 billion dollars, increased by 39.2% over the previous year, in which the total value of export reached 10.95 billion dollars, up by 29.2%. The total value of import was 7.28 billion dollars, up by 57.5%. Of the total of exported products, industrial products amounted to 6.271 billion dollars, up by 47.3% and mechanical and electronic products amounted to 2.609 billion dollars, up by 58%.

State-Level Development Zones Hangzhou has four state level development zones, which are: 1. Hangzhou’s Economic and Technological Development Zone 2. Hangzhou’s High-Tech Development Zone 3. Xiaoshan’s Economic and Technological Development Zone 4. Hangzhou’s Zhijiang National Holiday Resort Zone

The four state level development zones have continued to play an important role as the main platform for investment promotion. In 2003, the four zones signed 202 foreign invested projects with contracted foreign investment of 838 million dollars and actual foreign investment of 474 million dollars, which accounted for 41.9% and 47% of the city’s total contracted foreign investment and actual foreign investment. The construction and development of the four zones promoted the development of the surrounding areas and quickened the eastward development of the city.

Hangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone

Set up in 1993, Hangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone covers a planned area of 34 square kilometers. Five fundamental industrial systems and production bases in mechanical and electronic industry, food and light industry, textile and chemical fibre industry, medicine and chemical industry and refined chemical industry have been initially formed. Zhejiang Hangzhou Export Processing Zone Located in Hangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone, Zhejiang Hangzhou Export Processing Zone covers a planned area of 2.92 square kilometers with such a series of national preferential policies as those Inside the Country and Outside the Customs. It is the only designated export processing zone in Zhejiang Province with closed management by the Customs.

Hangzhou State-Level Hi-Tech Industry Development Zone

Set up in 1993, Hangzhou State-Level Hi-Tech Industry Development Zone lays emphasis on the development of the five hi-tech industries in micro-electronic information, bio-medicine, new materials, optical-mechanical-electrical integration, computers and their application. It covers a planned area of 19.64 square kilometers with the three parts of the main plot, Zhijiang Science and Technology Industrial Park and Xiasha Science and Technology Industrial Park. It is a hi-tech industry base of Zhejiang Province with a state-level software park and returned-students-oriented pioneering park. Presently a pattern dominated by hi-tech industries in electronics, communications, computers, electric machinery and instruments has been formed in the zone.

Hangzhou Zhijiang National Tourist and Holiday Resort

International Sister Cities
By the end of 2003, Hangzhou had established partner city relations with the following 13 cities in 12 countries:
1. Gifu, Japan
2. Fukui, Japan
3. Boston, USA
4. Baguio, the Philippines
5. Leeds, UK
6. Yousu, Korea
7. Nice, France
8. Paramaribo, Suriname
9. Budapest, Hungary
10. Beit Shemesh, Israel
11. Agadir, Morocco
12. Curitiba, Brazil
13. Kazan, Russia

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