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Accounting revisions and a business census will boost China's GDP stats by about 15% for 2013-2015

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December 14, 2014

Accounting revisions and a business census will boost China's GDP stats by about 15% for 2013-2015

China’s statistics bureau is predicted to announce results of its third national economic census this month after a year’s worth of interviews and data collection from millions of businesses. The past two, published in 2009 and 2005, prompted additions to gross domestic product estimates as the value of services was revised higher.

This time around, 2013 GDP will be revised up by 1 to 3 percent -- as much as about $275 billion -- and 2014 GDP growth will be bolstered by 0.1 to 0.3 percentage point, according to the median forecast of 12 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News.

Liu expects the revisions could add 0.1 to 0.3 percentage point to 2014 GDP growth and has increased his estimate from 7.2 percent to 7.5 percent on accelerated budget spending, stabilization in property and seasonal data effects.

The national economic census is conducted about every five years to gather information on the manufacturing and services industries. Over 10 million businesses and about 60 million individual enterprises were visited early this year by about 3 million census takers, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

The nationwide review may help offset underrepresentation of China’s rapidly-expanding services industry. The past two censuses led to a 16.8 percent revision to 2004 GDP size and a 4.4 percent increase in 2008.

I have adjusted the 2015 GDP forecast from the Economist. Hong Kong and Macau add about $370 billion to China's GDP total would put 13.74 trillion China and at 74.5% of the US economy. 2% annual strengthening in currency and 4% annual differential in GDP growth over the USA would mean China would pass the USA in overall nominal economy in 2020. Also, 2019 would have another China business census adjustment. Odds would indicate that 2019 would be when China (including Hong Kong and Macua) would pass the USA because of the 2019 business census. Hong Kong and Macau are part of China but are separated in many statistical reports.

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Adjustments to the NBS’s accounting method will also likely lead to revisions. Research and development spending will probably be included as investment instead of as a cost.

Accounting Changes

Another change that may boost the size of 2013 GDP, though not the 2014 growth pace, is a new calculation of the economic contribution from home owners’ accommodation. In the past, the NBS priced self-owned residency on historical costs, while the new method will value that based on estimated rental costs using current market rates.

The better services sector data and accounting method changes will boost the level of 2013 GDP by 8 to 10 percent, said analysts including chief economist Liang Hong at China International Capital Corp.

Economists including Mizuho Securities Asia Ltd.’s Shen Jianguang, Haitong International Securities Group Ltd.’s Hu Yifan and ANZ Bank’s Liu said they have taken into account likely revisions in their 2014 growth forecasts.

``China is using an upgraded methodology and the results should be taken seriously,'' Daniel Rosen and Beibei Bao at Rhodium Group wrote in a research note. ``Beijing is counting activity previously underestimated, and converging toward international best practice.''

Rosen and Bao said that the National Bureau of Statistics will likely revise the 2013 GDP level up by 5 to 10 percent.

The revised base, along with a 6 to 7 percent growth rate through 2020, will add tens of trillions of yuan to China's economy. ``Securing economic growth is no longer a valid excuse for stalling on reform,'' the analysts wrote.

The US had statistical adjustments made to its GDP calcs (adding in entertainment and creative software that boosted GDP by 3%). Nigeria did a GDP rebasing that boosted GDP by a large amount.

The new accounting and census will be the going forward official numbers. IMF and Worldbank use the official national numbers as reported.
 
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It's understandable, for a developing country like China, it is very hard to calculate GDP. Since so much economic activity is done off the books, same as any other developing country.

The Chinese government will take the conservative approach as usual, and release a figure on the lower end rather than the higher end.

I have adjusted the 2015 GDP forecast from the Economist. Hong Kong and Macau add about $370 billion to China's GDP total would put 13.74 trillion China and at 74.5% of the US economy. 2% annual strengthening in currency and 4% annual differential in GDP growth over the USA would mean China would pass the USA in overall nominal economy in 2020. Also, 2019 would have another China business census adjustment. Odds would indicate that 2019 would be when China (including Hong Kong and Macua) would pass the USA because of the 2019 business census. Hong Kong and Macau are part of China but are separated in many statistical reports.

75% of US GDP, that is amazing.

Even the Soviet Union at the peak of their power only got up to 50% of US GDP at the time.
 
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It's understandable, for a developing country like China, it is very hard to calculate GDP. Since so much economic activity is done off the books, same as any other developing country.

The Chinese government will take the conservative approach as usual, and release a figure on the lower end rather than the higher end.



75% of US GDP, that is amazing.

Even the Soviet Union at the peak of their power only got up to 50% of US GDP at the time.

The Soviets were approx. 60% the size of the US economy in 1990. This implies that they may have even been higher in preceding years, maybe as high as 65%-70% though I don't know about that. The Japanese are the only one's to have reached, in total economic size relative to the US, where the Chinese are now.

In fact, lots of people don't know this, but in one quarter of a financial year, at the height of the asset bubble, Japan became the largest economy in the world.
 
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Odds would indicate that 2019 would be when China (including Hong Kong and Macua) would pass the USA because of the 2019 business census. Hong Kong and Macau are part of China but are separated in many statistical reports.

I do not understand why HK and MC should be separated in statistical reports. I would even encourage to add TW to the calculations.
 
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The GDPs of big cities like Shanghai will likely receive a major boost due to the new method of calculating "the economic contribution from home owners’ accommodation. In the past, the NBS priced self-owned residency on historical costs, while the new method will value that based on estimated rental costs using current market rates."

When Zhu Rongji was the major of Shanghai in the 1980s, masses and masses of 5 or 6-storey apartment blocks were built for millions of families who purchased these small properties for a now puny 30000-50000 yuan. On a historical basis, the rental costs of these owner-occupieds are negligible(30000/70/12=35 yuan a month) while the current market prices for same run into thousands of RMBs.

The capitalization of R & D expenditure is another avenue that might add greatly to a city's GDP.
 
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9 interpretations of China's Central Economic Work Conference in 2014
Editor: Zhang Dan 丨CCTV.com

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Full coverage: 2014 Central Economic Work Conference


1. Consumption should target new demands

[Conference Information] In terms of consumption demand, China used to have the 'wave style consumption', but that pattern seems to be ending. Personalized and diversified consumption have gradually become mainstream. There is more emphasis on product quality and innovation. We should adopt the proper policy to tap into the potential of consumption and ensure that it will play a fundamental role in promoting economic development.

[Expert's Interpretation] "Nowadays, consumption has entered a new stage in China. With the rise of per capita income, the consumption ability of Chinese shoppers has improved, and new features and structures of consumption have emerged," said Zhao Ping, deputy director of the Department of Consumption Economy Studies, a research institute under China's Ministry of Commerce.

"Consumers tend to surge after the same products as others when their consumption ability is limited, thus forming the 'wave style consumption', which is usually unstable and won’t last long," Zhao said.

"With the improvement of people’s livelihood, consumers won't follow suit; they will prefer to buy stuff according to their own demands, in a rational and more individualized manner. There are many consumption hotspots in the market that are beneficial for sustainable and stable development of our economy," Zhao said.

2.Creating new export advantages

[Conference Information] Nowadays, total global demand is insipid. China's comparative advantage of low costs is changing, but its export advantage remains. High-level importing and large-scale exporting should be carried out at the same time. We should quicken our pace in developing new comparative advantages to ensure that exports can continuously support economic development.

[Expert's Interpretation] "China has witnessed changes in its traditional advantage of exporting low-cost products. Therefore, after the third plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, China has laid out four strategies for regional development: economic integration of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, Yangtze River Economic Zone, and Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone, all of which will help create new advantages for China's foreign trade," said Bai Ming, deputy director of the Department of International Market Studies, a research institute under China's Ministry of Commerce.

"In terms of foreign investment, we should introduce high-end manufacturing and service industries. Moreover, we should expand the scope of going global and focus on exporting commodity as well as capital," Bai said.

3. Innovation should become a new engine

[Conference Information] Economic growth should rely more on human capital and technological progress. We must turn innovation into a new engine that drives China's development.

[Expert's Interpretation] "More than 30 years after the reform and opening-up, China has maintained high-speed economic growth with the help of business expansion, low cost of labor and land, and other factors. China should change this economic development pattern by improving the quality of its economic development and vigorously promoting innovation. Innovation not only includes product innovation and technological innovation, but also refers to institutional innovation," said He Weida, a professor of the University of Science and Technology Beijing.

4. Cultivating low-carbon environment

[Conference Information] Nowadays, our environment has reached or is nearing the upper limit of its carrying capacity. We should promote green, low-carbon, and sustainable development.

[Expert's Interpretation] "The Central Economic Work Conference interpreted 'new normal' from the perspective of environmental carrying capacity for the first time. It raised the idea of achieving green, low-carbon, and sustainable development, which reflects the attitude of respecting nature and returning to nature. China’s development under the 'new normal' will focus more on people's lives, health, quality of life, and living environment," said Pan Jiahua, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

5. To build risk management network

[Conference Information] A variety of hidden risks are revealed along with the economic slowdown. The risks can be managed on the whole, but eradicating all of them might take a long time. We should treat both symptoms and root causes, and find suitable remedies to the problems. We should also build and improve mechanisms to address all kinds of risks.

[Expert's Interpretation] "Any economy will encounter certain risks during its development process, especially risks in the financial field. The judgment of 'economic risks are manageable on the whole' raised at the conference is in line with China's economic reality. Currently, the risks of the Chinese economy mainly come from the loans of local governments and non-performing asset of banks, which have been exposed by the economic downward pressure and declining property market,” said He Ping, a professor of Renmin University of China.

"Therefore, this meeting sets ‘resolving all kinds of risks' as an important means to facilitate economic development under the ‘new normal’, and points out that it will take some time to remove these risks," He said.

6. Investment should turn to new industries

[Conference Information] After more than 30 years' intensive and large-scale development and construction, the traditional industries have reached saturation, but new industries emerge with abundant investment opportunities. We should remove barriers to investment, and make it play a key role in economic development.

[Expert's Interpretation] "The Chinese economy is facing great downward pressure, serious over-capacity problems, and the risks of deflation, so we should give priority to stabilizing growth, which needs steady investment. New investment opportunities will arise from some areas such as the Internet, e-commerce, information consumption, the creative cultural industry, and the inter-connectivity of infrastructure, which refers to the connection of different places through highway and railway networks," said Xu Hongcai, an economist at the China Center for International Economic Exchanges.

"Under the 'new normal', we should focus on optimizing economic and industrial structure with investment, guide the order flow of social capital and raise the efficiency of resource allocation, so as to achieve steady economic growth," Xu said.

7. We should explore new roads for industries

[Conference Information] Industry structure must be optimized and upgraded. During the process, mergers and reshuffles of enterprises and production concentration is unavoidable; the roles of emerging industries, service industry, small and micro businesses will become more important, and production miniaturization, intelligentization and professionalization will be new characteristics of future industries.

[Expert's Interpretation] "The current Chinese central administration has made a lot of preparations for exploring new roads for upgrading industries. In encouraging self-employment and boosting employment, the government has lowered the benchmark for start-ups and given sufficient support to small and micro businesses; it has also canceled investment limitations in previous monopolized fields. In encouraging innovation, the government has ushered a mass innovation to incentivize common people’s potential of innovation." said Ding Maozhan, Director of Research Office of Chinese Academy of Governance.

8. Diversified competition is encouraged

[Conference Information] The market competition is transforming gradually from being quantity and price-based into quality-based and diversified. To integrate the national market and to enhance the efficiency of resources allocation is the inner demand of economic development. To this end, we should deepen the reform and opening up, and step up building an integrated, transparent and orderly market environment.

[Expert's Interpretation] "To transfer into quality-based and diversified competition, we should break down the previous mode of economic development driven by local government, to reallocate the power between the central government and the local governments, and thus to highlight the local governments' service function instead of economic construction. In other words, local governments should attach greater importance to social security, people's welfare and public service, and gradually reduce their function in economic construction," said Liu Yuhui, professor of the Institute of Finance and Banking with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

9. Adjustment should focus on overall supply and demand

[Conference Information] Considering the resources allocation mode and macro adjustment method, the marginal efficiency of overall stimulative policies is decreasing. To fully digest the excessive production capacity, and to explore the future direction of industries through the market mechanism, we should follow the changes in the overall supply and demand and conduct scientific macro adjustment accordingly.

[Expert's Interpretation] "Regarding the method of macro adjustment, we should take scientific policies of 'micro stimulation' instead of 'strong stimulation' to release the downward pressure. Investment is one of the three major levers, which also include exports and domestic demand. We should maintain optimal investment and guide them to better serve the current renovation process," said Gu Shengzu, deputy director of the Financial and Economic Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee.

"To fulfill this target, we should: unleash the function of nongovernmental capital; utilize a combination of policies, including reducing taxation expenses, directional loose and boosting consumption to meet the requirement of both short-term and long-term development; boost investment through developing regional economic zones, such as the Yangtze River Economic Zone, the Silk Road Economic Belt and Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone," Gu said.

From People's Daily (Overseas Edition)
 
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In accounting terms it is called "Window dressing"! :)
 
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A 15% increase of our nominal 2015 GDP would be around $2 trillion.
I'd call "launching tiny payloads into the space" window dressing. :D



the economic equivalent of India. :D

As I said, 'window dressing', showing 'growth' with the stroke of a pen, many corporates also do it to jack up profits/revenue or to hide it. :)
 
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China's 2013 GDP will be revised upwards by over 3% as a result of the 3rd economic census。

The official results will be published on 19.12.2014.

SNA 2008 based GDP,which is likely to see a further lift to the reported economic output,will be available starting from 2015.
 
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