Central areas gain on coast

China's central region, which includes nine provinces, recorded economic growth of 0.9 percentage points faster than the eastern coastal areas in 1996.

The gross domestic product (GDP) of eastern coastal regions totalled 3.92 trillion yuan (about HK$3.64 trillion) in 1996, while the GDP of the central region reached 1.89 trillion yuan.

The western region GDP reached 959.6 billion yuan, the Economic Information Daily reported yesterday, quoting State Statistical Bureau figures