(Yicai Global) Aug. 19 -- Guangdong province had the largest gross domestic product among 31 provinces and autonomous regions that have published their first-half economic data, while Yunnan had the highest growth rate.

Guangdong's GDP tallied nearly CNY5.1 trillion (USD billion) over the first sixth months, making up around a ninth of the country's CNY45.1 trillion total, according to figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics. The national economy grew 6.3 percent, with 16 provinces expanding faster and Beijing's on par with the average.

Jiangsu and Shandong followed in the scale of their provincial economies, at CNY4.9 trillion and CNY4.2 trillion, while Yunnan was the fastest grower as its GDP surged 9.2 percent. Guizhou and Tibet Autonomous Region also logged 9 percent growth.

The northeastern provinces of Jilin and Heilongjiang were the slowest two growers as their economies expanded 2 percent and 4.3 percent, but recent investments from the likes of Saudi Aramco, BMW, Alibaba, Evergrande and China Merchants could spur that figure in the second half.

Editor: James Boynton