China may compile data on a month-on-month basis to better measure the country's economic growth during the global credit crisis, said Ma Jiantang, head of the National Bureau of Statistics.

"We should speed up the production of key economic data on a monthly basis," said Ma during a visit to Fuzhou, Fujian Province, according to a statement on the bureau's Website yesterday.

China's key economic data are usually calculated on an annual basis, which compares figures with those a year earlier.

But the global financial crisis has led to sharp fluctuations in the pace of development and the year-on-year data were unable to provide a complete picture of the situation, according to the statement.

Ma did not reveal when the bureau would be ready to publish month-on-month data.

Some institutions compile their own month-on-month and quarter-on-quarter data, which provide a more accurate view on the recovery of the economy.

(Shanghai Daily June 30, 2009)