Three information technology "belts" have taken shape in China, according to a report from the Ministry of Information Industry.
They are located on the Zhujiang River Delta in south China, the Yangtze River Delta, and across Beijing, Tianjin and Tanggu in north China.
The output value of the electronic and information technology (IT) industry of Guangdong Province totaled 390 billion yuan (US$46.9 billion) in 2002, the highest in the country.
The output value of the electronic and IT industry of Jiangsu Province, a major producer on the Yangtze River Delta, rose by 20.8 percent to 260 billion yuan (US$31 billion). Production of integrated circuit, computer and digital audio and video devices became a pillar industry of the region.
Beijing yielded 6 billion yuan (US$722 million) in pre-tax profits from the electronic and IT sector last year, up by 6.3 percent from the previous year. Sales of software came to 33 billion yuan, up 50 percent.
Market forecasts show China's electronic and IT industry is expected to grow by 30 percent to 2.1 trillion yuan (US$253 billion) this year.
(Xinhua News Agency January 31, 2003)
