According to statistics released by Ningbo Statistics Bureau about the economic operation of Ningbo in the first quarter this year, in the severe situation home and abroad, Ningbo is taking take resolute and daring action to deal with the international financial crisis and to ensure the steady development in the future.

The economic decline at the end of the last year affected the industry of Ningbo this year. In the first quarter of this year, the GDP of large industrial enterprises amounted to 260.56 billion yuan, leveling the same period of the previous year with the growth rate 27.6 points lower than the same period of the last year.

However, on the monthly base, there is a growth of major economic indexes.

In the first three months, the growth rate of large industrial enterprises reaches 3.3 points. In March, the gross output of large industrial enterprises reaches 103.39 billion yuan, 5.3% more than the same period in the previous year. and 4.7%% more than the average monthly output of the previous year. This indicates that the monthly output has resumed the high level of the last year.

Besides, the total added value of the large industrial enterprises amounted to 47.65 billion yuan, increased by 28.% over the precious year and 4.5 points higher than the first two month this year.  In the same three month, the reduction rate of profit and that of profit tax drop by 7.9 and 0.6 points respectively.

Tang Baisheng, General Statistian of Ningbo Statistics Bureau said, “The drop of the reduction rates is confirmed by the drop of industrial power consumption. In the first quarter, the industrial power consumption drops by 1.1% over the same period of last year, with the growth rate 13.2 points lower than the same period of the last year but slightly higher than January and February. Taking the manufacturing industries as an example, the power consumption drops by 3.6% over the same period of last year but in March the power consumption rises by 5.1 points against January and February.”

Foreign trade is recovering, though not very fast. In the first quarter, the total import and export volume reaches $22.29 billion US dollars, increased by 19.% over the precious year and 2.5 points higher than the first two months this year. Of the total, the export reaches 13.3 billion, increased by 4.8%.

In particular, the export in March rises by 10.9%, 2 points higher than the average growth rate of the country.

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According to the quarterly statistics of economy of Ningbo, it is preliminarily estimated that the GDP amounts to 129.02 billion yuan. Calculated by comparable price, the GDP increases by 7% over the same period of last year, with the growth rate 3.4 points lower than the same period of the last year. An analysis of Ningbo Statistics Bureau shows that despite the impact of the insufficient demand and internal adjustment and the pressure from economic decline, Ningbo is maintaining a gradual recovery of its economy.

The income of citizens grows faster than that of GDP.

In the first quarter of this year, the income of urban and rural residents grows faster than that of GDP. The statistics show that the urban per capita disposable income reaches 12,302 yuan, 13.0% more than the previous year. On inflation-adjusted basis, the income rises by 10.2%. The per capital cash income of the rural residents reaches 6,676 yuan, 13.5% more than same period of the previous year. In real terms, the income rises by 9.3%.

An analysis of Ningbo Statistics Bureau shows that the wage income and transfer-payment income are still the major source of the growth of the income of urban residents. The growth of the income of rural residents is mainly attributed to the considerable growth of the old-age pension, stock interest and rental income. The growth rate of these non-productive incomes is as high as 21.2%.

The slowing down growth of CPI and notable price reduction of houses.

In the first quarter of this year, the CPI increases by 2.5% against the same period of the proceeding year. It drops by 3.1 and 2.8 against the same period of the previous year and the average of the year.

Thanks to the control policies by the central government on the real estate market, the house price is declining in the first quarter this year. According to the State Statistics Bureau’s report of the price movement of houses of 70 cities in March, the price of new houses and that of second-hand houses drop respectively by 1.7% and 0.4% on the monthly base. And on the yearly base, the prices drop by 3.2% and 4% respectively, a record fall this year

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On the morning of April 25, Ningbo Municipal Government held a press conference, and released the White Book of Ningbo’s Intellectual Property Rights Protection.

According to the white paper, in the last year, Ningbo strengthened the protection of intellectual property rights and implement special actions to crack down on crimes of intellectual property rights infringement and crimes of manufacturing and marketing of counterfeit and substandard goods. In the year, the city handles over 1,900 cases of various kinds.

According to the white paper, in the special actions, Ningbo Municipal Science and Technology Bureau and other departments concentrated on the crack down on the patent rights infringement of home appliances. In the year, the city investigated 6 cases of patent rights infringement, completed 7 cases, and handled 2 cases of patent counterfeiting.

The industrial and commercial administrative department concentrated on the investigation of cases of trademark infringement. It investigated 851 such cases, with the penalty for these cases totaling 36,055,900 yuan.

In the year, Ningbo Intermediate People’s Court closed 652 civil cases of IPR infringement, 15 cases of disputes over contracts of IPR, 4 cases of disputes of disputes on the ownership of IPR, 626 cases of the patent right infringement disputes, and 6 cases of disputes over unfair competition and monopoly.

According to Ningbo Public Security Bureau, in the last year, 132 people were arrested for crimes of intellectual property rights infringement and crimes of manufacturing and marketing of counterfeit and substandard goods.

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Recently, a promotional activity for 100 developing foreign trade companies has been held in International Convention and Exhibition Center in Ningbo. The program was jointly hosted by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange(SAFE), Ningbo Branch and Ningbo Bureau of Foreign Trade ＆ Economic Cooperation.

More than 120 small and medium-sized foreign trade companies secured credit support amounting to 7 billion yuan from financial institutions, which means a strong financial support for their future development.

The promotional activity belongs to a large-scale SME foreign exchange services program offered by SAFE Ningbo Branch. The move aims to further improve the foreign exchange allocation and step up development of Ningbo’s open economy.

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Deputies for the first session of the 14th Congress of the Ningbo Municipal Government were listening attentively to the governmental work report on April 19.

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Last Friday, a book club for migrant construction workers was opened on a construction site in Ningbo. The book club will organize lectures and recommend books for migrant workers

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The first quarter of 2012 saw the approval of 59 overseas enterprises and institutions, in which the approved Chinese investment would reach US$383.3177 million, up by 81.3% over the same period last year and accounting for 12.47% of the cumulative investment. The actual amount of investment reached US$158.8673 million, an increase of 111%, accounting for 10.36% of the cumulative amount.

The approved enterprises and institutions, including 26 trade enterprises, 18 economic and trade offices, eight production-oriented enterprises, an engineering and real estate enterprise, a warehousing and logistics enterprise, four research and development institutions, are located in 20 countries and regions. Among them, 17 enterprises or institutions, including ten trade enterprises, two economic and trade offices, two production-oriented enterprises, a warehousing and logistics enterprise and two research and development institutions, were approved in March, with an approved Chinese investment of US$101.3175 million and actual investment of US$50.211 million. They are distributed in eight countries and regions.

By the end of March, there had been 1,487 approved overseas enterprises and institutions in 97 countries and regions, with an approved Chinese investment of US$3.0735664 billion and actual investment of US$1.533131 billion

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In response to the spirit of 12th Ningbo Party Congress of accelerating the construction of the modern metropolis, improving the living environment and enhancing the quality of life, Jiangdong District has selected Dandinghe Community as the pilot livable community, in accordance with Ningbo’s implementation plan of building demonstrative livable communities.

The selected community is one with sufficient conditions. The construction work involves the infrastructure perfection, the burying of specialized tubes, the environmental beautification, housing renovation and security equipment installation. To be specific, the gate house or watch box in the major entrances of the community should be arranged to facilitate the residents’ access and guard management. The community should be surrounded by security facilities and the walls along the streets should be transformed into permeable walls. All the overhead wires including those for communication, internet and cable TV should be buried underground. In a word, the construction aims at building a quality community with safe and comfortable houses, all the necessary facilities, a smooth traffic and neat pipelines, a tidy environment and a comfortable atmosphere for living.

Recently, the Housing and Urban-Rural Construction Bureau of Jiangdong District hosted the meeting for the construction of the demonstrative community, with representatives from Baihe Street Committee and Dandinghe Community attending the meeting. The meeting, where the general idea and specific contents of the construction were introduced and the suggestions from the representatives were put forward, marks the official start-off of the construction of the demonstrative livable community in Jiangdong District

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The second Urban Front Forum was held in Sheraton Ningbo Hotel on the afternoon of April, 13. Many personages attended and addressed the forum, including Zhou Hanliang, a member to the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee and vice chairman of Shanghai Municipal Committee of the CPPCC, Shan Wenhui, former director of Research Center for Urban Eco-planning and Design, Fudan University, and Fang Zhenning, a Japan-based critic on architectures and arts. Their speeches were centered on the topic of city upgrading and quality life.
Mr. Zhou made a speech on the development direction of international metropolis. In discussing the contradiction between urbanization and the preserving of historic buildings, he said that valued buildings with historic significance should be preserved. “Buildings are the concrete memory of a city, and a city lives because of memories. Historical heritage is very vital to urbanization and therefore, we must preserve historical cultures and customs”, Zhou said.
 

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Since this January, ten coal-fired boilers in the National Hi-tech Zone in Ningbo have been shut down. More coal-fired boilers will be closed this year, sources from the environmental protection department said.

Ningbo plans to shut down all the coal-fired boilers in urban area in the next three years. The sale and use of high polluting fuels will be banned in the urban areas and downtown in county-level cities. Ningbo has closed 235 coal-fired boilers and industrial furnaces since the plan was issued last year.

In 2012, the municipal government pledges to take more effective measures. According to the plan, a total of 150 coal-fired boilers will be shut down or replaced. In response, local environment departments have taken immediate actions. Zhenhai District makes a specific instruction on each boiler to be closed. Beilun District introduces a series of rules over the high pollution fuel boilers and plans to give subsidies the companies that take initiatives in the program.

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