China's Hunan sees GDP up 7.6 pct in 2019

　　Fireworks illuminate the sky during the New Year celebrations in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, Jan. 1, 2020. (Xinhua/Chen Zeguo)

　　CHANGSHA, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Gross domestic product (GDP) grew about 7.6 percent year on year in central China's Hunan Province in 2019, authorities said Monday.

　　Last year, Hunan authorities invested heavily in research and development. The province currently has more than 6,000 high-tech companies, and the high-tech industry saw its added value increase about 14 percent year on year.

　　Hunan also actively participated in the Belt and Road construction, with trade volume up 55 percent year on year with countries along the Belt and Road last year. Hunan's import and export volume exceeded 400 billion yuan (58 billion U.S. dollars) in 2019.

　　Authorities expect Hunan's GDP to grow about 7.5 percent in 2020 and plan to lift all its impoverished residents out of poverty. ■