(Yicai) Oct. 26 -- Of the 29 Chinese provincial-level regions that released their gross domestic product data for the first three quarters of the year, 15 have reported a GDP growth faster than the average of 5.2 percent.

Among them, Hainan province had the fastest-growing economy, with a GDP growth of 9.5 percent in the nine months ended Sept. 30 from a year earlier. Shandong, Zhejiang, Sichuan, Anhui, Gansu, and Qinghai provinces, Shanghai, and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region logged figures of over 6 percent.

Guangdong, Jiangsu, and Shandong provinces reported the highest GDP in the period. Guangdong’s GDP rose 4.5 percent to CNY9.6 trillion (USD1.3 trillion), ranking first among all Chinese provincial-level regions. Jiangsu and Shandong reported growths of 5.8 percent and 6 percent to CNY9.3 trillion and CNY6.8 trillion, respectively.

Nine provincial-level regions, including Fujian and Hainan provinces and Chongqing, reported faster GDP growth in the first three quarters than in the first half of the year. Seven of them are in central and western China.

The GDP of central and western Chinese provincial-level regions grew faster in the first three quarters than in the first half, indicating that the social functioning has largely returned to normal, Securities Times reported, citing Chen Bo, a researcher at Liaoning University Free Trade Zone Research Institute.

Coastal provincial-level regions in southeastern China are highly dependent on foreign trade, so their economic growth this year is impacted by external pressure, Chen added.

Many provincial-level regions, such as Fujian and Sichuan provinces and Tianjin, have released plans to accelerate industrialization, boost consumption, and hike investment in the fourth quarter.

Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and the Tibet Autonomous Region have not yet released GDP data for the first nine months of the year. Their GDP jumped 5.1 percent and 8.4 percent to CNY854.2 billion and CNY107 billion (USD116.7 billion and USD14.6 billion), respectively, in the first half from a year earlier.

Editor: Futura Costaglione