Major Economic Indicators (2007)

Source: Xiamen Economic and Social Development Report 2007

Introduction

Xiamen is a prefecture-level city in the southeast of Fujian Province. The city's downtown area is located on Xiamen Island - the fourth largest island in Fujian. Xiamen is one of the nation's five special economic zones.

Xiamen has a subtropical monsoon climate, with average temperature of 21 Celsius and rainfall of 1200 mm. Typhoons hit Xiamen four to five times each year, mainly between the months of July and September.

Xiamen Port is located in Jinmen Bay, by the estuary of the Jiulong River. In 2007, its freight throughput ranked thirteenth in China. Transport options include the Yingtan-Xiamen Railway, and two highways connecting Xiamen with Zhangzhou and Quanzhou.

Economic Features

In 2007, the industrial output of enterprises above designated scale in Xiamen reached RMB 273.6 billion, up 17.8% over 2006. Xiamen has an industrial structure focusing on the heavy industry. In 2007, the ratio of the heavy industry's industrial output to the light industry's was 2.2:1. Moreover, the growth of heavy industry reached 24.7%, 19.4 percentage points higher than that of light industry.

The pillar industries of Xiamen are electronics, machinery and chemicals. In 2007, the industrial output of the three industries reached RMB 205.2 billion, accounting for 75.0% of the city's total.

The electronics industry is Xiamen's largest pillar industry. In 2007, its industrial output accounted for 33.7% of the city's total. Major products include computers, handsets, TVs and radios. Dell Computer, Lenovo Computer, Prima TV, Amoi Electronics and NEC are the major investors in this sector. Dell has opened two factories in Xiamen. In the first quarter of 2008, Dell's revenue in China grew by 30% year on year.

Machinery is another of Xiamen's pillar industries. In 2007, its industrial output accounted for 26.1% of the city's total. XGMA Machinery Corp and King Long Motor are two of the main companies. XGMA is a major engineering machinery producer in China, and its sales of mechanical loaders have ranked first in the country over the last few years. In 2007, the revenue of XGMA reached RMB 5.1 billion, up 34.7% over 2006.

Tourism is a major industry in Xiamen's service sector. It is one of the ten most popular cities in China for tourism. In 2007, a total of 20.6 million domestic and overseas tourists visited Xiamen. Tourism revenue reached RMB 29.4 billion, up 16.0% over 2006.

In 2007, Xiamen's foreign trade grew by 21.3% to US$39.8 billion. Products were exported predominantly by joint-venture companies. Export by joint ventures reached US$14.4 billion, accounting for 56.4% of the city's total. Electronics and machinery were the main exported products, and together, they made up 49.3% of the total export. Within the same year, utilized FDI reached US$1.3 billion, up 33.2% over 2006.

Cultural Highlights

Xiamen was built 620 years ago. It was nicknamed "Island of Aigrette" because of the high number of aigrettes living on the island. The Xiamen International Marathon has been held annually in Xiamen since 2003.

Since 1997, the China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) is held in Xiamen on September 8 every year. CIFIT is currently China's only international investment promotion event aimed at facilitating bilateral investment. It is also the nation's largest global investment event, and the only one approved by the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI).

Tourist Attractions

Major tourist attractions in Xiamen include Gulangyu Islet, Wanshi Botanical Garden, Nanputuo Temple, Hulishan Fortress, the International Conference & Exhibition Center, Bailuzhou Park and Xiamen University. Xiamen University is one of the nation's most beautiful universities due to its geographic location. It is adjacent to the sea and surrounded by scenic spots such as a lake, an ancient fort and a temple.

Xiamen food is part of South Fujian cuisine, combined with a Taiwanese and Chaoshan flavor. Seafood dishes are particularly renowned for their freshness and light spiciness. Famous snacks include the Nanputuo vegetable dish, meat-rice dumplings, peanut soup, fried noodle tread, fried clams, noodle paste, Xiamen pie, leek pancakes, thin cakes, sea worm jelly, fried sleeve-fish, braised cabbage and fried liver.

Major Development Zones

By the end of 2007, Xiamen had seven state-level development zones.

State-level Development Zones in Xiamen

Source: National Development and Reform Commission of P.R. China

Honors

National Model City for Greenery (2007)
---National Greenery Commission

Top City for living in China (2007)
---Ministry of Construction

National Civilization City (2005)
---National Civilization Commission

World Habitat Award (2004)
---United Nation

National Habitat Award (2003)
---Ministry of Construction

International Garden City (2002)
---International Park Association

National Top 10 Most Livable Cities (2001)
---National Real Estate Forum

Special Award of National Environmental Renovation (2000)
---Ministry of Environmental Protection