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Living in China: Shanghai GDP increases 13.3% in 2007

Shanghai, the most powerful economic hub of China, achieved GDP of US$1.2 trillion in 2007, up 13.3% from a year earlier, marking a double-digit growth for 16 consecutive years, the Shanghai Statistics Bureau announced recently. The city’s 2007 GDP per capita stood at US$8,594 in the local calculation method, said Pan Jianxin, director of Shanghai Bureau of Statistics. And in accordance with the international standards, the figure would hit US$8,949, said Pan…

Shanghai, the most powerful economic hub of China, achieved Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of US$1.2 trillion in 2007, up 13.3% from a year earlier, marking a double-digit growth for 16 consecutive years, the Shanghai Statistics Bureau announced recently.

The city’s 2007 GDP per capita stood at US$8,594 in the local calculation method, said Pan Jianxin, director of Shanghai Bureau of Statistics. And in accordance with the international standards, the figure would hit US$8,949, said Pan.

The growth rate was 1.3 percentage points higher than in 2006. As for comparison, the city’s consumer price index — a main gauge of inflation, jumped 3.2 percent in 2007, powered by food prices — climbed 9.4 percent last year.

The fast growth in the service sector which accounts for 51.9% of Shanghai’s GDP is the main pushing power for the city’s development last year. And steel production, petrochemical industry and Olympic-related projects will further boost Shanghai’s economy this year.

Fixed asset investments, a main measure of spending on roads, factories and other large investment projects, were also a major contributor, making up 445 billion yuan.

Inflation of 3.2 percent remained well under the national average of 4.8 percent, despite leaping prices in food items, as in much of the country.

The bureau’s consumer inflation calculations do not include real estate, which has been roaring ahead for years at double digits, although many are now predicting a slump in sales amid tighter credit conditions.

“We should tackle inflationary pressure and try to reduce pollution and the consumption of energy,” said Pan Jianxin.

By Itamar Medeiros

Originally from Brazil, Itamar Medeiros currently lives in Germany, where he works as VP of Design Strategy at SAP, where he leads the design vision for the entire Human Capital Management product line, ensuring cohesive product narratives and establishing best practices.

Working in the Information Technology industry since 1998, Itamar has helped truly global companies in multiple continents create great user experience through advocating Design and Innovation principles. Itamar has also served as a juror for prestigious design competitions and lectured on design topics at universities worldwide.

During his 7 years in China, he promoted the User Experience Design discipline as User Experience Manager at Autodesk and Local Coordinator of the Interaction Design Association (IxDA) in Shanghai.

Itamar holds a MA in Design Practice from Northumbria University (Newcastle, UK), for which he received a Distinction Award for his thesis Creating Innovative Design Software Solutions within Collaborative/Distributed Design Environments.

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