The first national economic census that caught attention of the whole society has been successfully completed after two years of joint efforts of various regions and departments. It was done under the unified leadership of the State Council, with the collaboration of local governments.

Under the principle of "unified national leadership, division of work as well as cooperation among different departments, level-specific responsibilities by local authorities and participation by all parties concerned," the economic census mobilized over three million census enumerators and supervisors, 10 million statisticians and accountants at government departments, enterprises and public institutions; conducted a comprehensive survey on all legal person units, industrial units and self-employed individuals engaged in the secondary and tertiary industries within China and achieved plentiful and substantial results.

It fully demonstrates the advantage of China's socialist system and the government's mighty administrative mobilization capability. The economic census was indeed a major social mobilization in peace times as well as an important practice of administration by law. What is more, it is a helpful and fundamental endeavor in implementing the scientific outlook of development in a all-round way.

Through this census, the resources of the secondary and tertiary industries were further discerned and we came to comprehensive possession of great amounts of basic information on key national conditions and strengths.

For example, the title, address, postcode, telephone number, trade type and registration type as well as the affiliation of legal person unit; employees (including gender, education background, title and structure of technical levels), assets, liability and paid-in capital of units; the production and operation of enterprises, main industrial product output and productive capability as well information on raw material, energy consumption and scientific and technological activities of industrial enterprises.

Through this census a system of the registers and databases of the basic units has shaped up. All the original grass-roots data from the economic census have been input into a national database system after examination and verification at each level. Not only nationwide data collection can be done, but grouping of data can also be processed according to region, industry, scale and ownership. With rich and accurate information these are a precious fortune to the society.

To make timely maintenance and update on the national system of the registers and databases of the basic units, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Central Organization Commission Office, Ministry of Civil Affairs, State Taxation Administration and State Administration of Industry and Commerce have jointly compiled the Update System for the Registers of the Basic Units, requiring related departments at the county level and above to start providing information to same-level statistics department on addition, change and cancellation of unit registers every six months from the year 2006, so as to make it a "live database" that is complete in coverage, easy to use and safe in operation, laying down a sound foundation for raising supervision efficiency and public service level under the market economy.

The results of the census show the significant changes in China's GDP and the structure of the three industries. Using the census data the GDP aggregate in 2004 calculated at current price was 15.9878 trillion yuan, 2.3 trillion yuan or 16.8 percent more than reported in the annual bulletin. The proportion of the value added of primary, secondary and tertiary industry have changed from the 15.2 percent, 52.9 percent and 31.9 percent in the annual bulletin to 13.1 percent, 46.2 percent and 40.7 percent. The share of the tertiary industry is 8.8 percentage points higher than in the annual bulletin. Of the newly added 2.3 trillion yuan, the tertiary industry alone accounts for 2.13 trillion yuan.

It was mainly through the census that data omitted in regular statistics on the tertiary industry were added and the "water content" (exaggeration) of trades below the designated scale under the secondary industry was dried out, thereby making China's economic aggregates and structure more conform to reality and reflecting more comprehensively and accurately China's economic and social development.

Several points must be handled properly for properly handling the results of the first national economic census correctly.

Firstly, the census data must be approached in a realistic and practical way.

Ensuring the accuracy and reliability of statistics is the basis for scientific decision-making. Statistics are scientific and objective in nature and are the authentic record of history. China's economic and social activities are intricate and varied with new development everyday, making a thorough investigation very hard. However, large-scale economic census is, after all, much more comprehensive and thorough than regular statistics, therefore more accurate. For this reason we should respect the data from this census and have a comprehensive understanding of and correct attitude toward changes of the data and treat it as a new starting point.

Secondly, correctly approach the growth of the GDP aggregates after the census.

The increase of the GDP aggregates for 2004, calculated by using the census data over the preliminary calculation at the beginning of this year, is quite normal, and similar phenomena occur every so often overseas. Moreover, it must be realized that China's per capita GDP is still ranked behind the 100th worldwide even after the adjustment. We are still facing many challenges. The contradiction between the underdeveloped economy and people's increasing material and cultural demand will remain the basic one in the primary stage of socialism. China still remains the world's largest developing country.

Thirdly, approach GDP correctly.

GDP is a comprehensive indicator of a country or region's output aggregate as well as by far the most important one used internationally. We should attach importance to GDP and make more in the process of protecting the environment and improving people's living standards while reducing waste. But we are warned against blind, single-minded pursuit of the indicator, nor should we make it the only criterion for socio-economic development and political performance. We should seek development, but the development we pursue must be scientific. We should conscientiously implement the scientific outlook of development, foster a correct view on political performance, attach more importance to a fully harmonious sustainable development that puts people first, pay more attention to adjusting and optimizing economic structure and accelerating the transformation of economic growth mode, strive to raise the quality, performance and core competence of economic growth.

Fourthly, further improve the statistics mechanism, system and methodology.

China is in a phase of economic system transition and rapid economic and social development with many new situation and changes taking place, which increases the difficulty of and requirement on statistics work. We should adapt ourselves to the development of the socialist market economy and expanding opening up by further perfecting the statistics mechanism, deepening reform of the statistics system, improving statistics methodology, consolidating statistics capacity, strengthening statistics indicator system and data collection channels, particularly the standardization and perfection of statistics work on economies below scale in the tertiary industry. Statistics authorities should stick to the principle of seeking truth from facts, strictly implement the law on statistics and keep raising statistics quality. Party committee and government at various levels and the whole society should give more care and support to statistics work, conscientiously protect the unity of the statistics work and the objectivity, authoritativeness of statistic data.

In short, the data gathered from the economic census provide basic information for comprehensive implementation of the scientific outlook of development, transforming economic growth mode, adjusting and optimizing economic structure and improving macro-controls. In the meantime, they lay down important foundation for reforming the statistic survey system, improving national economy calculation system, perfecting statistics monitoring, early warning and forecast system, pushing ahead the informitization of statistics. The central government, local governments and various departments should make the data from the economic census the basis for calculating the national economy in 2005, summarizing economic and social development in the Tenth Five-Year Plan Period (2001-2005) and compiling the plans for the Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2006-2010) and the year 2006.

Let us stand at the new historical starting point, command the overall situation with the scientific outlook of development, welcome the opening year of the Eleventh Five-Year Plan Period with a completely new look and continuously push forward the great cause of building a well-off society in an all-round way!

The commentator's article is carried on the front page of People's Daily on Dec. 21, and is translated by People's Daily Online