Word: china
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...Surprisingly, it is provincial cities like Xi'an that are leading this transition. In China's heartland, you won't find many factories churning out cheap toys or clothing for overseas markets, the kind of industrial activity that underpinned China's economic miracle and made Shanghai and Shenzhen wealthy. Total international trade represents a mere 18% of Xi'an's GDP, compared with 160% in Shanghai. Xi'an is being built instead on the burgeoning spending power of its own consumers, and on the expansion of Chinese companies churning out products for Chinese. "The domestic market will be the leading...
...much of China's recent history, this difference was a liability. The country's vast, mostly agrarian West was isolated from the international economy and lagged badly behind the booming east coast in progress and prosperity. Nine years ago, Beijing sought to begin closing this development gap by investing heavily in highways, airports and other infrastructure across the western region. This has helped to kick-start growth. So has geography: Xi'an's lack of exposure to crashing global markets means it has barely been singed by the crisis. In fact, the city has benefited. It's received $230 million...
...their first home together. For Zhu, the busy Wednesday evening is business as usual. His store's sales have surged about 40% this year. "In the past, people only bought the electronics that they needed," Zhu says. "Now people are spending money just to enjoy it." (See pictures of China...
...This kind of exuberant consumer behavior helps to explain why China has powered through the global recession with only limited damage. Local officials expect Xi'an's gross domestic product to surge 13.5% in 2009, far faster than the central government's 8% target for the national economy. Even more importantly, the thriving economy in this city of 8 million lends hope that China might be able to complete its next great economic transformation. China has come to depend too much upon exports and investment for growth. What's needed is economic rebalancing, so that domestic consumption contributes more...
...That's not only because of government largesse. As wages and land prices rise precipitously in China's coastal cities, Chinese companies based there are investing in operations in less-developed Xi'an to capitalize on its lower costs and tap a cheaper labor market. About 70% of Xi'an's domestic investment comes from the southeast coast. For example, in late 2008 Shenzhen-based cell-phone maker ZTE announced it would invest $880 million in manufacturing and research facilities in Xi'an that will ultimately employ 26,000 people. Hybrid-car maker BYD, also headquartered in Shenzhen, has turned...