| An Interpretation of the Statistical System of International Trade in Services |
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In order to perfect the Statistical System of China¡¯s trade in services, and boost its healthy development, the Ministry of Commerce and the National Bureau of Statistics revised the Statistical System of International Trade in Services implemented as of January 1 of 2008, according to the newest standards of international trade in services statistics, drawing upon statistical methods of trade in services of developed countries and regions, and integrating the practical situation and characteristics of China¡¯s trade in services development in recent years. The new Statistical System of International Trade in Services (referred to hereinafter as the Statistical System) will take effect as of August 1, 2010. In order to make relative parties to further understand the content of the Statistical System and promote its implementation, in view of its background and main content, the Official of the Department of Trade in Services and Commercial Services interpreted the Statistical System as follows:
I. Background of the Statistical System
In recent years, with the enlarged and enriched scale and range of services trade, governments, enterprises and analysts have higher requirements for the utilization of statistical information of services trade. To meet the need of economic development and trade negotiations, it is of great significance for the Chinese government to collect more correct, comprehensive, detailed and internationally comparable services trade statistics.
In the past two years since the implementation of the Statistical System of International Trade in Services in 2007, China has established a basic framework of statistical system of services trade, under which we not only made statistics of imports and exports of services, but also tried to make statistics of services trade of foreign affiliates. Though we can collect the overall data of imports and exports of services, and partial data of services trade of foreign affiliates, the limitation in statistics comprehensiveness, timeliness, and accuracy made it incapable to satisfy the demand of all walks of society for service trade information; It is still difficult to monitor the operation of imports and exports of services trade enterprises and hard to conduct in-depth comparison and analysis of bilateral services trade statistics. Therefore, in order to establish a statistical system of trade in services more consistent with international standards and China¡¯s practical situation, and guide local commerce departments to carry out more effectively statistical work of trade in services, the Ministry of Commerce and the National Bureau of Statistics co-promulgated the Statistical System.
II. Main Content of the Statistical System
1. Legal basis of the Statistical System
The Statistical system is based on the Law of the People¡¯s Republic of China on Statistics and its ordinance and the Foreign Trade Law of the People¡¯s Republic of China.
2. International Standards complied by the Statistical System
The Statistical System stipulates that China¡¯s statistics of trade in services accord with the Manual on Statistics of International Trade in Services complied by the UN and other international organizations and relative standards of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), and match relative standards of 1993 System of National Accounts (SNA) of the UN.
3. Contents of trade in services statistics
The Statistical System stipulates that China¡¯s trade in services statistics mainly include three aspects: statistics on imports and exports of services, foreign affiliates trade in services statistics and statistics on movement of natural persons.
4. Methods of data collection of trade in services statistics
The Statistical System rules that the methods of data collection of trade in services statistics comprise full coverage survey, sample survey, key-points survey, typical survey and scientific measurement, and make full use of administrative records and other data.
Data of imports and exports of transportation, travel, communications services, financial services, and insurance services, foreign affiliates trade in services in financial fields, and the movement of natural persons is mainly collected from relative departments, and supported by statistical methods of key-points survey, typical survey and scientific measurement. Data comes from relative departments and other information channels.
Full coverage survey is conducted in the following fields: construction and relevant engineering services, education services, environment services, medical, health-care and social services, recreational, cultural and sporting services, distribution services and other business services. Respondents include enterprises and public institutions, other organizations, individual businesses, and individuals. Data comes from MOFCOM¡¯s statistical system of trade in services enterprises.
For data of computer and information services, royalties and license fees, non-financial foreign affiliates trade in services, full-coverage survey is adopted. Data is from current statistical systems of the Ministry of Commerce.
5. The release of statistical data of trade in services
Trade in services statistics are to be released periodically. In the forms of China Trade in Services Statistics and Report on China Trade in Services Development, the Ministry of Commerce releases annual statistics on China¡¯s imports and exports of services, foreign affiliates trade in services and movement of natural persons, etc.
III. Organizing and implementing work of China trade in services statistics
The Statistical System stipulates that the Ministry of Commerce is in charge of organizing and implementing work related to statistics and survey on China trade in services.
China¡¯s trade in services statistics is under unified administration with different levels holding different responsibilities. The Ministry of Commerce is the competent authority of trade in services statistics. Under the guidance of the National Bureau of Statistics, the Ministry of Commerce is in charge of national trade in services statistics. Local commerce departments are in charge of the trade in services statistics within their own administrative regions.
After the implementation of the Statistical System, China¡¯s trade in services statistics would cover the four service delivery modes GATS identifies: cross-border, consumption abroad, commercial presence and movement of natural persons. Meanwhile, imports and exports of services statistics will for the first time realize enterprise direct-reporting nationwide.
To facilitate the implementation of the Statistical System and guide enterprises to correctly fill in trade in services report forms, the Department of Trade in Services and Commercial Services of the Ministry of Commerce complied the Guidance for Filling in Report Forms of International Trade in Services Statistics.
Enterprises (and other respondents) can log in China Trade in Services Net (http://tradeinservices.mofcom.gov.cn) and click the rolling bar Direct-Reporting System for International Trade in Services in the middle of the page to report online, or directly click http://168.160.98.13:8080/ZBXT1/Login.jsp to report.
All information published in this website is authentic in Chinese. English is provided for reference only.
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