Major Economic indicators (2007)

Source: Bengbu Economic and Social Development Report 2007

Introduction

Bengbu is situated in the northeastern part of Anhui Province. The city borders Suzhou to the north, Huainan to the south, and Jiangsu Province to the east. The Huaihe River flows through the southern part of the city. It covers an area of 5,952 sq km and has a population of 3.6 million. Bengbu is located between the subtropical humid monsoon climatic area and the temperate semi-humid monsoon climate zone, and so has dry, cold winters and rainy, hot summers.

The city is a transportation hub for central China. Bengbu Port, the largest inland port along the Huaihe River, offers shipping lines to Jiangsu, Shanghai, Zhejiang and Jiangxi. The Beijing-Shanghai Railway, connected with the Beijing-Kowloon Railway by the Huainan Railway, goes through the city. Bengbu also has an advanced highway network. The Beijing-Fuzhou Highway and the Nanluo Highway (which runs from Luoyang to Nanjing) also go through the city. Bengbu Airport offers regular flights to Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and other major cities.

Bengbu grows wheat, cotton and tobacco, and is rich in mineral resources such as gold, iron and quartz.

Economic Features

In 2007, the city's GDP grew 13.5% year on year to RMB 41.2 billion, ranking ninth among the 17 prefecture-level cities in Anhui Province. The service sector, the major contributor to the economy, comprised 40.5% of the city's GDP. The industrial sector and the agricultural sector constituted 38.6% and 20.9% of the city's GDP, respectively.

Bengbu is a major oil plant and cotton production base in Anhui Province. In 2007, it produced 271,200 tons of oil plants and 45,300 tons of cotton, accounting for 11.7% and 12.1% of Anhui Province's total, respectively.

The industrial sector in Bengbu is dominated by light industry. In 2007, light industry gained value-added industrial output of RMB 7 billion, up 14.2% from a year ago, while that from heavy industry was RMB 3.4 billion, with a rise of 30.95 year on year. The value-added industrial output from light industry and heavy industry with designated size and above made up 67.3% and 22.7% of that from the city, respectively.

Equipment manufacturing, auto parts, textiles and garments, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, construction materials, electronic products, metal products, electricity and heat production and supply are the pillar industries in the city. The gross industrial output of equipment manufacturing and auto parts amounted to RMB 6 billion in 2007, nearly one fifth of the total industrial output from the city.

The leading companies in the city include Norstar Automotive Industries<2339>, Anhui Fengyuan Bio-Chemicals and Anhui Bayi Chemicals. Norstar Automotive Industries, listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2003, opened its first auto parts production line in 1997. Beitai Auto Parts Industrial Park, with total investment of RMB 4 billion from Norstar, is situated in Bengbu High-tech Industrial Park. The group's revenue for the 2008 fiscal year (which ended on Aug 31, 2008), rose 11.1% year on year to RMB 3.9 billion, while the net profit rose 26.2% year on year to RMB 510 million.

Anhui Fengyuan Bio-chemical and Anhui Baiyi Chemicals, with sales revenue of RMB 4.2 billion and RMB 944 million in 2007, respectively, are the largest two chemicals producers in Bengbu.

The value-added output from the service sector reached RMB 16.7 billion in 2007, representing a growth of 13.9% from the previous year. The consumer market is active in Bengbu, with sales of consumer goods soaring 16.8% year on year to RMB 15.6 billion and accounting for 6.5% of Anhui's total.

The foreign trade vale in the city rose 16.7% year on year to US$320.2 million, consisting of export value of US$280.9 million and import value of US$39.3 million. The export value of electronic and mechanical products rose 26.2% from the previous year to US$34.6 million, more than one tenth of the city's total export value. The countries and regions in Europe are the major export destinations of Bengbu, with export value totaling US$96.9 million, nearly one third of the city's total.

The utilized FDI in the city was US$201.6 million, with a rise of 40.9% year on year. The 6 province-level industrial zones in the city attracted over one third of the foreign investment.

Cultural Highlights

Bengbu, whose name means of "port of mussels", is know as a center of the freshwater pearl fishery. The city's history stretches back over 4,000 years, to a time when this region was inhabited by groups of tribes like the Huaiyi tribe. Its present territory partly belonged to several states and kingdoms before the Qin Dynasty (221BC-206BC) unified China. Since then, the city was under the administration of the shires and prefectures in this area. In 1947, Bengbu became the first city to be founded in Anhui Province.

Tourist Attractions

Bengbu is rich in beautiful scenic spots, such as the Longhu Scenic Spot, the White Milk Spring Scenic Spot and the Mount Zhuizishan Forest Park. Longhu Scenic Spot, situated west of Mount Caoshan, is well-known for its splendid scenery and cultural attractions. The Longzi River, a branch of Huaihe River, can be enjoyed there. The White Milk Spring Scenic Spot is famous for the sweet, milky spring water. The scenic sport is surrounded by mountains and forests.

The city also has various featured local dishes, such as the Steaming Crab of the Tuohu Lake, the tasty Bengbu Milk Cream and Crispy Pork (fried pork).