Canvassers for China's economic census must ensure the validity and credibility of the results to give decision makers better insight into the economy, Vice Premier Li Keqiang said yesterday.

The census is vital as it provides a frame of reference for the government to maintain stable, rapid economic growth as the financial crisis deepens, Li said during visits to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and a census data collection site here.

"The global financial crisis has not bottomed out but has further hit the world economy, and its adverse impact on China is gradually unfolding," said Li.

He urged census-takers to strive for quality and timeliness in their data.

China started its second national economic census in October and is expected to publish the results at the end of this year. Workers have finished preparations and begun to collect and analyze the data.

The NBS started the census in 2004, and it is conducted every five years. The current census will help form the basis of the social and economic development blueprint for the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015).

Statisticians around the nation will survey all enterprises from the secondary and tertiary sectors, including smaller ones that were omitted from earlier annual statistics.

(Xinhua News Agency January 5, 2009)