BEIJING, Oct. 17 -- The following are Chinese economic news items in brief:

E. CHINA'S FUJIAN SEES 18 PCT RISE IN TOURISM INCOME

Tourists visiting east China's Fujian Province spent 94.49 billion yuan (about 14.2 billion U.S. dollars) in the first three quarters of the year, up 18 percent from the same period last year, the local tourism bureau said Friday.

Between January and September, Fujian registered 84 million tourist visits, up 16.4 percent year on year. Some 81.77 million were domestic visitors, up 16.5 percent year on year, while 2.24 million of the visitors were from abroad, up 11.5 percent year on year.

Fujian is famous for its scenic spots, including Mount Wuyi, Gulang Island and danxia (red grit stone) landforms, as well as for the Mazu Temple and the folk architecture of Hakka Tulou.

SW CHINA'S CHONGQING INVESTS HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OVERSEAS

Contracted offshore investment from southwest China's Chongqing Municipality grew to 942.6 million U.S. dollars in the first three quarters of the year, up 762.1 percent from the same period last year, the local foreign trade and economic cooperation department said Friday.

Involving 32 projects, the investment sum is equivalent to the city's total offshore investment of the past three years.

Of the total offshore investment in the first nine months, 306.94 million U.S. dollars has already been transferred, up 728 percent year on year.

CHINA'S PACKAGING INDUSTRY OUTPUT TO EXCEED 1.2 TRILLION YUAN THIS YEAR

The value of China's packaging industry production will exceed 1.2 trillion yuan (about 180.5 billion U.S.dollars) this year, an increase of 20 percent over last year, a spokesperson with the China Packaging Federation said Friday.

Areas near the Bohai Bay, the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta account for 81 percent of the industry's total output.

CENTRAL CHINA'S HUBEI POSTS MORE THAN 50 PCT GROWTH IN FOREIGN TRADE

Central China's Hubei Province generated 16.22 billion U.S.dollars in foreign trade in the first eight months of the year, a rise of 53.3 percent year on year, the local customs house said Friday.

Exports totaled 9.18 billion U.S. dollars, up 52.2 percent, and imports totaled 7.04 billion dollars, up 54.7 percent.

Foreign-funded companies accounted for 43.7 percent, or 7.09 billion U.S. dollars of the trade, up 66.9 percent year on year, while state-owned enterprises accounted for 37.2 percent, or 6.03 billion dollars, up 49 percent year on year.

Hubei's top three trade partners were the European Union, the United States and Japan.

JIANGSU'S FOREIGN TRADE IN HI-TECH PRODUCTS UP NEARLY 50 PCT YOY

East China's Jiangsu Province generated 133.05 billion U.S. dollars in foreign trade in new- and high-tech products in the first eight months of the year, up 49 percent year on year, the local customs house said Friday.

The total accounted for 45 percent of the province's total foreign trade in the period.

Exports totaled 77.62 billion U.S. dollars, up 45.4 percent, while imports totaled 55.43 billion U.S. dollars, up 54.4 percent.

Jiangsu's top three high-tech exports were laptop computers, solar energy cells and liquid crystal display panels.