A container carrier berths at Zhoushan Port. [Photo/WeChat account: zjzsqdxq]

The GDP of Zhoushan in East China's Zhejiang province registered an 8.4 percent year-on-year increase in 2021, local media reported on Jan 26.

The city's average GDP growth over the past two years was 10.2 percent, 2.1 percentage points higher than the national average and 4.2 percentage points more than the provincial average.

Zhoushan posted the highest foreign trade growth in the province in 2021 with a year-on-year increase of 41.8 percent and its foreign trade volume, exports and imports last year also reached record highs.

Zhoushan's foreign trade volume was 235.49 billion yuan ($37.35 billion), exceeding 200 billion yuan for the first time, while exports rose 31.6 percent year-on-year to 77.39 billion yuan, and imports surged 47.5 percent year-on-year to 158.1 billion yuan.

The growth rate of industries above a designated size in Zhoushan was ranked first in the province last year with a year-on-year increase of 46.7 percent.

The added value of high-tech, core digital economic industries as well as strategic emerging industries maintained double-digital increase over the past year with year-on-year increases of 27.4 percent, 20.4 percent and 14.1 percent respectively.

In addition, Zhoushan's economy also highlighted the cargo throughput in Zhoushan port areas and online sales volume.

In 2021, the cargo throughput of Zhoushan port areas exceeded 600 million metric tons for the first time and achieved a year-on-year increase of 5.1 percent. Its online sales volume surged 32.1 percent year-on-year to 10.65 billion yuan ($1.68 billion).

The Zhoushan area of the China (Zhejiang) pilot free trade zone registered another 8,954 companies in 2021, a year-on-year increase of 21.7 percent and accounting for 78.1 percent of the city's total. The area also offered $3.09 billion worth of supplies to international ships last year.

The per capita disposable income of residents in Zhoushan stood at 60,848 yuan, a year-on-year increase of 9 percent, while the ratio of urban to rural residents in the city was 1.61, far lower than the provincial average of 1.94.