(BEIJING, July 19) -- Beijing's gross domestic product (GDP) in the first half of 2007 grew 12.1 percent over the same period last year, continuing the pace of double-digit growth for 9 consecutive years, an official said Thursday.

The industrial sector recorded the highest growth rate of 12.9 percent, while the service sectors surged by 11.9 percent. On the other hand, the agricultural sector declined by 1.7 percent, according to Yu Xiuqin, vice-director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Statistics.

The value-added of the tertiary sector contributed 72.5 percent to the GDP growth, one percentage point over the same period last year, she told a press conference at the Beijing Olympic Media Center.

The city was able to adjust its economic structure, she said, adding that there was a rapid expansion of high-tech products, which contributed 48.2 percent to the growth of the industrial sector, while industries that have a high energy consumption and pollute heavily have been trimmed

Energy-consumption per 10,000 yuan of GDP in the first quarter fell by 4.95 percent from the level of the last year. Sulfur dioxide emissions in the first half of 2007 were down 13 percent, Yu said.

The city's investment continued to favor the tertiary industry, with a 31.9 percent expansion in infrastructure, of which transportation and energy sectors were up 53.7 and 28.3 percent respectively.

She noted that part of the infrastructure investment was directly related to the 2008 Olympic Games and covered energy, transportation, forestation, health, telecommunication, water and many other areas.