The Historical National Accounts of

the People's Republic of China

1952-1995




Prepared by the Joint SSBC - Hitotsubashi University Team and
Supported Financially by a COE Grant from the Ministry of
Education and Sciences of Japan for the Compilation of
Asian Historical Economic Statistics



September 1997





    Foreword

    Preface

    Chapter 1 Transformation from MPS to SNA

      1.1 A short history of the national income accounts in China

      1.2 Characteristics of MPS and SNA

    Chapter 2 Sources and Estimates for Historical GDP

      2.1 Basic methodology for estimating historical GDP

      2.2 Estimating value added for the material production sector

        2.2.1 Payments to non-material services by material production sector
        2.2.2 Depreciation of fixed assets of the material production sector
        2.2.3 Minor adjustments

      2.3 Estimation of value added of the non-material services sector
        2.3.1 Depreciation of fixed assets
        2.3.2 Net income from passenger transportation and communications
        2.3.3 Wages in the non-material production sector
        2.3.4 Welfare funds (or funds for public benefits)
        2.3.5 Profits (or income withdrawal)
        2.3.6 Taxes
        2.3.7 Others
        2.3.8 Coordination of industry classification

      2.4 Some source and intermediate data

    Chapter 3 Sources and Estimates for Historical GDE
    (GDP by Expenditure Approach)


      3.1 Final consumption expenditure
        3.1.1 Household consumption expenditure
        3.1.2 Government consumption expenditure

      3.2 Gross capital formation
        3.2.1 Gross fixed capital formation
        3.2.2 Changes in inventories

      3.3 Net exports of goods and services

    Chapter 4 The Method for Measuring Value Added at Constant Prices

      4.1 Basic methods of measuring value added at constant prices

      4.2 Methods for measuring value added at constant prices

        4.2.1 Agriculture
        4.2.2 Industry
        4.2.3 Construction
        4.2.4 Transportation, post and telecommunication services
        4.2.5 Commerce, financial intermediaries and insurance

      4.3 Brief review of methods for measuring value added at constant prices

    Chapter 5 Methods for Measuring GDE at Constant Prices

      5.1 The short history of estimating Chinese GDE at constant prices

      5.2 The basic classification of components of GDE

      5.3 Details of compiling estimates of GDE at constant prices

        5.3.1 Total consumption
        5.3.2 Total investment

      5.4 Remaining issues

    Chapter 6 Main Results








    Foreword

    The State Statistical Bureau of the People's Republic of China and the Institute of Economic Research of Hitotsubashi University are releasing in this publication a joint report on sources and methods of estimation of basic macroeconomic indicators during the period 1952-1978. The report is the outcome of joint research by the two organizations. It was supported financially by a COE (Center of Excellence) grant-in- aid from the Ministry of Education and Sciences of Japan for the fiscal years 1995-1997.

    The report presents the final estimates of historical GDP for the People's Republic of China for 1952-1978, marking the first time that such figures have been compiled, and makes suggestions for further improvement of the methodology for compiling estimates and informational data for the People's Republic of China. The report also contains supplementary tables with detailed information used in the historical GDP estimates as well as analyses of problems inherent in estimating historical GDP.

    This volume will be useful for economists and statisticians in China and other countries, and will provide a source of encouragement for officials in transitional countries to use SNA concepts in constructing estimates of historical national accounts in their own nations.

    3 August, 1997



    
               Qiang Li                             Konosuke Odaka
               Director                                Director
    
     Department of National Accounts                  COE Project
        State Statistical Bureau            Institute of Economic Research
    of the People's Republic of China           Hitotsubashi University
    









    Preface

    The joint research was initiated by Masaaki Kuboniwa of the Institute of Economic Research of Hitotsubashi University, who in March 1996 requested that the State Statistical Bureau of China (SSBC) collaborate in converting national income data based on MPS to GDP data based on SNA for the period 1952-1978.

    The Institute desired this collaboration to assist its COE Project in compiling a comprehensive data base of Asian historical economic statistics. In addition, Qiang Li, director of the Department of National Accounts of the SSBC wanted to complete Chinese GDP time series by adding GDP figures for 1952-1978 to the existing GDP data, which covered 1978-1995.

    At the beginning of July in 1996 a delegation headed by Ryoshin Minami, the leader of the China statistics division of the COE project, visited the SSBC to reach a formal agreement on compiling data and estimates for GDP for 1952-1978. A joint research team was then created by the SSBC and the Institute of Economic Research of Hitotsubashi University. The research was supported financially by a COE grant from the Ministry of Education and Sciences of Japan for the fiscal years 1995-1997.

    Task managers for the joint project have been M. Kuboniwa and Q. Li. The Hitotsubashi University COE project staff visited Beijing on numerous occasions in connection with this project. The staff members included Konosuke Odaka, Ryoshin Minami, Yoshiro Matsuda, Masaaki Kuboniwa, Jinjun Xue and Ximing Yue. In return, the SSBC staff, including Qiang Li, Xianchun Xu and Xiaoqing Tian, visited Tokyo to work on the draft of this report. Finally we gratefully acknowledge assistance from SSBC staff members Xiyun Zhang and Lihua Dong.

    The main authors of the final version of the report are Q. Li, X. Xu, X. Tian, and M. Kuboniwa. X. Yue helped to compile the data and Charles Weathers assisted in editing the English version of the final manuscript. The GDP and GDE figures in the current and comparable prices presented here will be used as a set of the official national accounts statistics of the People's Republic of China. The earlier drafts of the report were discussed at the joint Hitotsubashi-SSBC meetings held in Tokyo on 22 November 1996 and 12 July 1997.

    The report was prepared at the Institute of Economic Research of Hitotsubashi University by K. Odaka and the China statistics division of the COE project, and at the SSBC by the Department of National Accounts, which was directed by Q. Li during the time that the report was being prepared. The joint team finalized the report in Beijing on 29 July- 4 August 1997.