An aerial view of Pingliang. [Photo/WeChat account: pingliangfabu]

Pingliang recorded the fastest economic growth among Gansu province's 14 cities and prefectures in the first half of this year, with its GDP rising 7.2 percent year-on-year, outperforming the provincial average of 4.9 percent.

This growth was driven primarily by the secondary industry, where value added rose 11.5 percent. Meanwhile, output from large-scale industrial enterprises — those with annual revenue of at least 20 million yuan ($3 million) — soared 23.4 percent year-on-year.

Industrial output expanded across a broad range of sectors, including pharmaceutical manufacturing, power generation, and specialized equipment manufacturing. Higher production of washed coal and electricity also supported growth, reflecting efforts to upgrade traditional energy industries while expanding new manufacturing capacity.

Agriculture also contributed to growth, as the beef cattle and apple industries continued to expand, raising rural incomes and increasing consumption in county-level markets.

The city will further promote industrial upgrading, expand investment, strengthen rural industries, and improve the business environment to sustain growth in the second half of the year.