BEIJING – China’s economy was 2.1 percent bigger than what’s previously estimated, revising the gross domestic product (GDP) for 2018 to 91.93 trillion yuan ($13.1 trillion) based on results of a census.
The National Bureau of Statistics said Friday the revision reflects more complete measures of the services sector and assets. It raises the possibility China’s communist leaders will attain their target of doubling the country’s GDP between 2010 and 2020.
The government also plans to issue revised GDP growth estimates for the world’s second largest economy but did not say when.
The earlier estimate put the GDP in 2018 at 90.03 trillion yuan ($12.8 trillion). That’s still well below the United States’ (US) GDP in 2018 of $20.5 trillion. But the US economy expands at a much slower pace – 2.9 percent in 2018 – than China’s.
China’s economy expanded at an annual pace of 6.0 percent in the July-September quarter, the slowest growth since 1992, as a tariff war with the US and slowing global demand hammered its manufacturing sector. Businesses and consumers unnerved by the uncertain outlook for jobs and growth also have reined in spending in another drag on growth.
But given China’s still faster growth and population of 1.4 billion people, it’s expected to soon overtake the US as the world’s largest economy. (AP)
