The reporter learned from the statistical department of Lishui City that in January to February this year, the overall economic situation in Lishui City continued to show positive momentum. Industrial production maintained a steady recovery, fixed asset investment grew steadily, market consumption remained active, foreign trade exports accelerated, financial market operations remained stable, electricity consumption rebounded significantly, and the prices of consumer goods for residents remained stable.

From the perspective of eco-industry, January to February, the added value of industries above designated size in the city reached 5.56 billion yuan, achieved a year-on-year increase of 11.2%, with an average growth rate of 7.2% over the past two years. Among the 35 major industry categories, 29 industries achieved positive growth, accounting for 82.9% of the growth, Increased by 17.2 percentage points compared to the whole of last year.

Taking a broader view of Lishui, various regions are developing new productive forces according to local conditions, striving to achieve the restructuring of the industrial system, reshaping of development momentum, transformation of enterprise entities, reconstruction of development models, and the leapfrogging of industrial ecology. Among them, the “industrial agglomeration area focusing on semiconductor materials” has been included in the province’s action plan for the high-quality development of the integrated circuit industry, and has been listed in Zhejiang Province's “Ten Thousand Acres, Trillion-Yuan Industrial Platform” for nurturing new industries.

Investment, foreign trade, and consumption are the “three engines” driving the national economy. From January to February, the fixed asset investment in Lishui city increased by 9.1% year-on-year, with steady progress in key areas of investment. Investment in high-tech industries increased by 42.9%, manufacturing investment increased by 31.7%, and investment in ecological protection, transportation, energy, and water conservancy increased by 12.5%. The city’s total import and export volume reached 6.1 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 16.2%, with exports totaling 5.2 billion yuan, a 30.0% increase, marking a 21.8 percentage point acceleration in growth compared to the whole of last year. The total retail sales of consumer goods in the city amounted to 15.65 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 10.7%. Online consumption demand remained strong, with retail sales by trade units above designated size through public networks increasing by 31.9%.

Electricity usage data serves as a barometer for economic activity. In the first two months, electricity consumption notably rebounded. During the first two months of this year, the city’s total electricity consumption reached 2.04 billion kilowatt-hours, marking a year-on-year increase of 16.6%, accelerating by 8.3 percentage points compared to the whole of last year. Industrial electricity usage amounted to 1.01 billion kilowatt-hours, up by 19.0%, while urban and rural residential electricity consumption reached 530 million kilowatt-hours, representing a growth of 7.1%.

Financial reform continues to deepen, expanding the breadth and depth of financial openness. By the end of February, the balance of local and foreign currency deposits in financial institutions throughout Lishui City reached 592.81 billion yuan, an increase of 18.5% year-on-year. The balance of local and foreign currency loans amounted to 492.06 billion yuan, up by 19.6%. Among these, loans to enterprises and institutions increased by 29.5%, while household loans increased by 9.1%. In the first two months, there was an addition of 20.36 billion yuan in local and foreign currency deposits and 18.8 billion yuan in loans.

Furthermore, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Lishui residents decreased by 0.6% year-on-year, narrowing by 0.6 percentage points compared to January. Among the eight major categories of goods and services, prices exhibited a mixed trend, with increases observed in education, culture, entertainment, daily necessities and services, and housing-related expenses.