In the first half of the year, Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province, has made high-quality development as a top priority, with overall economic operation under pressure but progressing steadily.

A beautiful night view of Xi'an. [Photo/Xi'an Daily]

The city's gross domestic product (GDP) during the period reached 571.75 billion yuan ($79.04 billion), a year-on-year increase of 2.2 percent. Of that, the added values of the primary, secondary and tertiary industries amounted to 11.86 billion yuan, 183.18 billion yuan, and 376.71 billion yuan, respectively, up by 3.1 percent, 0.7 percent, and 3 percent.

Agricultural production remained stable, with the added value of the agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery industries reaching 14.02 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 3.3 percent.

Meanwhile, industrial production grew steadily. The added value of the city's industries above a designated size increased by 2.9 percent year-on-year.

In the service sector, the total operating income of service enterprises above a designated size reached 160.38 billion yuan from January to May, up by 5.9 percent year-on-year.

Additionally, consumer demand accelerated, with total retail sales of social consumer goods in the first half reaching 243.5 billion yuan, a 3.5-percent year-on-year increase, marking a 3.4 percentage point increase from the first quarter.

Moreover, the city's foreign trade remained stable and showed improvement, with the total value of imports and exports coming in at 203.86 billion yuan in the first half, up by 12.6 percent year-on-year, marking a 5.2 percentage point increase from the first quarter.

Trade with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative reached 114.28 billion yuan, a 21.5-percent increase, while trade with RCEP countries, South Korea, and the United States increased by 12.6 percent, 40.3 percent, and 7.7 percent, respectively.