Hubei emerging as Central China powerhouse

Hubei province, severely hit by COVID-19 in 2020, has regained its growth momentum with technological innovation acting as one of the major drivers, and it has fueled high-quality development during the last decade in the province, officials said at a news conference in the provincial capital Wuhan on Friday.

Hubei, after controlling the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, reported a 39.2 percent drop in GDP during the first quarter of 2020. However, its GDP grew 12.9 percent last year to reach about 5 trillion yuan ($734 billion), said Wang Zhonglin, governor of Hubei.

The growth reached 4.5 percent from January to June, 2 percentage points higher than the national figure. First-half incomes of urban and rural residents grew by 5.8 percent and 8.5 percent, respectively, ranking third and second in the nation, Wang said.