October 9, 2002	Wednesday	Sha’aban 2, 1423

BEIJING, Oct 8: China ranked first in the output of corn, cotton, rapeseed, fruit, mutton and beef in the world, while in tea, sugarcane and soyabean it ranked second, third and fourth respectively.

China’s world ranking in dairy products rose to eighth in 2001 from 18th in 1989, demonstrating that both living standards and consumption patterns have undergone a positive change.

The country has made great achievements in building up its economy following more than 20 years of reforms and opening to the outside world.

A report released by the National Bureau of Statistics indicates that China’s productive forces, overall strength and living standards have developed in a rapid, steady and healthy manner.

According to the report, China has been developing at an unprecedented growth rate. The gross domestic product increased from 362.4 billion yuan ($43.7 billion) in 1978 to 9,593.3 billion yuan ($1,155.8 billion) in 2001, an annual growth rate of 9.4 per cent, 6.1 percentage points higher than the world average during the same period.

Despite the complex internal and external economic environment, China’s economy has witnessed rapid growth since 1989, with an annual growth rate of 9.3 per cent.—APP