MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

China steams ahead.

China's GDP expanded an incredible 9,1% last year reaching 1,4 trillion US dollars according to the National Statistics Institute in Beijing.

"It's the strongest growth since 1997 in spite of the SARS crisis at the beginning of 2003", said Li Deshui head of the Statistics Institute.

However there are conflicting positions regarding 2004. While the revenue service estimates an 8,5% expansion, market analysts mention a more cautious 7%, and and Primer Miniester Wen Jiabao anticipated a "hard year ahead for the economy".

According to Mr. Li Deshui the Chinese economy expanded strongly in the first and fourth quarter of 2003, 9,9%, but 6,7% in the second when the SARS outbreak and 9,6% in the third quarter.

Per capita income in China in 2003 reached 1,090 US dollars but with great differences going from 150 in rural areas to 5,000 in the big eastern cities such as Shangai.

For the first time the Statistics Institute admitted in 2003 that the expansion figures could be "erroneous" or "inexact" because of the "cosmetics" to which some of the official numbers are exposed by over "zealous" staff.