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Last year's bottom ranking in economic growth in China has not blunted Beijing's determination to bid farewell to GDP-oriented policies. The capital city will continue to pursue sustainable economic growth and build a more livable environment for its residents, said Ji Lin, executive deputy mayor of Beijing. The GDP growth rate in the capital slowed to 8.1 percent in 2011,the lowest of all provinces and municipalities in China, while the country's overall performance was 9.2 percent. Ji said the slowdown resulted from the government's efforts to upgrade its economic development model. For example, stricter regulation of the real estate market, purchasing controls on vehicles, and the relocation of Shougang Group, one of the largest steelmakers in China, dragged down Beijing's GDP growth by as much as 2.2 percentage points, he said. "Although our economic growth was the slowest last year, it's just temporary. In the long run, its development will be sustainable and sound, conducive to the welfare of the public," he added. "We will continue the controls on car and home purchases this year and make more efforts to improve the environment." According to the deputy mayor, heavily polluting and power-hungry industries are not the only options for increasing economic growth. "Environmental protection industries and those that benefit people's daily lives can also be the engine for growth," he said, adding that the city government will inject more cash into those industries this year. | 
