Page 492 - Invited Paper Session (IPS) - Volume 2

IPS2339 Ning Jizhe
2. Opportunities
In the new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics, China’s statistical
work has entered a new stage of reform and innovation and embraced
unprecedented opportunities.
First, the modernization of state governance system and governance
capability provides unprecedented opportunities for official statistics
development. Over the past 40-plus years’ development since the reform and
opening-up, China has grown to be the world’s second largest economy; it is
in the crucial period of transforming the developing mode, improving the
economic structure and changing the growth driver. To gain a whole picture
about economic and social development, and promptly detect potential risks
and hazards in economic and social development demands authentic,
accurate, complete and timely data, which makes the government at all levels
pay attention to, need and support statistics all the more, and provides brand
new and broad space for official statistics development.
Second, the demand for statistical data from all sectors of society
provides unprecedented opportunities for official statistics development.
The public service institutions more and more rely on statistical data in
management and service delivery; the enterprises have growing needs for
statistical data in the process of investment, production and marketing; the
experts and scholars have increasing needs of statistical data for analysis and
research; and it is more and more the case that the general public can’t do
without statistical data in their everyday life. All these constitute a mighty
impetus for the development of statistical work.
Third, the development and application of modern information
network technology provides unprecedented opportunities for official
statistics reform. Since the start of the 21st century, global science and
technology innovation have entered a period of unprecedentedly intensive
activity. Science and technology exert profound impact upon economic and
social development as well as people’s life and they will have significant impact
upon statistical work as well. For instance, the extensive use of modern
information technologies like big data, cloud computing, Internet of Things,
mobile internet and artificial intelligence generates massive real-time data,
which provides a brand-new source of basic data for official statistics. Besides,
the rapid development of modern information technology provides advanced
techniques and tools for reforming the production mode of statistical data
and improving the efficiency of statistical work.
Fourth, the ever-growing international exchange and cooperation
provides unprecedented opportunities for official statistics development.
For one thing, we can draw on the developed countries’ mature experience
and practice regarding statistical rules, concepts and standards so as to reduce
and avoid detours. For another, China’s official statistics has made useful

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