Baotou holds the third session of the 16th Baotou Municipal People's Congress on Jan 17. [Photo/Baotou news network]

The third session of the 16th Baotou Municipal People's Congress opened at the Baotou First Workers' Cultural Palace on Jan 17.

Zhang Rui, mayor of Baotou city, delivers the government work report to the assembly. [Photo/Baotou news network]

At the session, Zhang Rui, mayor of Baotou city, stated that in 2023, Baotou city accelerated construction on its rare earth new material base project, its rare earth application base project, and its "World Green Silicon City" project.

It was estimated that the regional gross domestic product (GDP) of Baotou grew by more than 10 percent in 2023, with an increase of over 23 percent in the added-value of its industrial enterprises above a designated size as well as a growth of over 24 percent in its fixed asset investments. The general public budget revenue of the city was expected to exceed 20 billion yuan ($2.79 billion), growing by 15.51 percent, while its total retail sales of consumer goods was expected to grow by over 8 percent. The city's per capita disposable income of urban and rural residents was projected to have increased by around 5.5 percent and 6.5 percent, respectively.

In the report, Zhang outlined the city's expected development targets for 2024. This includes a GDP growth of around 9 percent, an increase of over 20 percent in the added-value of the city's industrial enterprises above a designated size, and a growth of over 20 percent in fixed asset investment. Zhang also stated that the city aims to achieve an increase of over 8 percent in total retail sales of consumer goods, a growth of over 9 percent in general public budget revenue, as well as a synchronized growth of urban and rural residents' income.