The fixed assets investment in the first eight months of 2004 was 30.3 percent higher than in the same period last year, according to the State Development and Reform Commission (SDRC).

While China's fixed assets investment was up 47.8 percent year-on-year during the first quarter, fixed assets investment in August increased only 26.3 percent. The growth rate of total fixedassets investment in the first eight months of this year decreased by 17.5 percentage points from that in the first quarter.

The change was the result of the central government's macroeconomic control policy that was implemented early this year in order to cool down overheated investment in capital construction in some industries.

The Chinese government has cleared 70,600 projects or 17,274.4 billion yuan (2088.8 billion US dollars) worth of fixed assets investment since April, according to sources with the SDRC.

Since the end of April, more than 427 projects have been stopped, valued at 43 billion yuan, the sources said.