China to use uniform GDP calculation method

China will introduce a uniform method of GDP calculation, with data from different regions, and this will be a priority in 2014, the chief of the National Bureau of Statistics said on Tuesday, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The bureau will take a stringent approach to modifying statistics over the past years to bring regional GDP in line with national figures.

The size and growth rate of regional GDP must be reviewed as well, Ma Jiantang said.

GDP has been calculated separately by different levels of local governments with regional GDP figures exceeding national GDP figures by a large margin every year.

Ma also said an online retail statistics system will be established to incorporate online retail services into the statistics of social consumer goods.