China to conduct fourth economic census

BEIJING -- China will carry out its fourth economic census in 2018 to get a clear picture of the economy, the State Council, China's cabinet, has announced.

The survey targets all businesses in the secondary and tertiary sectors, the State Council said in a document, adding that the census will facilitate economic planning.

Statisticians will collect data including enterprise ownership, financial status, production capacity, energy consumption, digitalization, e-commerce trading as well as research and development activities during the census, the State Council document said.

It ordered local governments to clamp down on irregularities in the census, including the falsification of data, forging census results and interfering in the census process.

The State Council will establish a leading group to strengthen management on related issues during the census.

The central government and local governments will share the expenses for the census, it said.