Xinhua reported that China has revised its gross domestic product growth rate for 2008 to 9.6% from 9%.

Mr Ma Jiantang director of the National Bureau of Statistics told a press conference that they have raised GDP for 2008 to CNY 31.4045 trillion from the previous figure of CNY 30.067 trillion.

The new figure amounted to about USD 4.59 trillion, at the exchange rate on December 31st 2008.

The revised volume for the agriculture sector was CNY 3.3702 trillion, accounting for 10.7% of GDP, down from CNY 3.4 trillion.

The figure for the industrial sector was put at CNY 14.9003 trillion, accounting for 47.5% of GDP, larger than the earlier figure of CNY 14.6183 trillion.

The service sector figure was CNY 13.1340 trillion, accounting for 41.8% of GDP. It was up from CNY 12.0487 trillion.

The GDP growth for 2009 would be calculated based on the revised GDP volume but would have little impact on the GDP expansion estimates.

China recalculated its GDP growth for 2007 earlier this year to 13% from the previous 11.9%, thus overtaking Germany to become the world's third largest economy.

(Source from Xinhua)