Tai'an city accomplished its goals set for the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) in economic and social development, according to a news conference.

The GDP of Tai'an reached 266.36 billion yuan ($40.69 billion), with an average annual growth rate of 6.4 percent in 2019.

From January to September, the city's GDP increased by 1.8 percent to 200.52 billion yuan, offering a strong driving force to the city's economic recovery despite the influence of the COVID-19.

During 13th Five-Year Plan period, Tai'an focused on cultivating five emerging industries – next generation information technology, high-end equipment and intelligent manufacturing, new materials, new energy, and medical care.

The government also made efforts in upgrading modern agriculture, high-end chemical, textile and apparel, modern logistics, and cultural tourism industries.

In the first half of this year, industrial enterprises above designated size in the city had realized a high-tech output value of 39.15 billion yuan, accounting for 46.67 percent of the industrial output value above designated size.

The Infrastructure construction was accelerated. Since 2016, Tai'an has invested more than 41 billion yuan in transportation infrastructure, 4.3 times that of the 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011-15). The city has built and upgraded 344.2 kilometers of expressways, 1.5 times the mileage completed in the past 20 years.

The people's livelihood has been fundamentally improved. By the end of 2018, a total of 145,000 people in rural area have been lifted out of poverty.

In 2019, local government spending on improving people's wellbeing reached 32.16 billion yuan, accounting for 77.6 percent of total expenditure in the general public budget. The people's sense of happiness has been constantly enhanced.