The General Office of the Ministry of Commerce ("MOFCOM") has recently issued the Circular on Conducting Effective Statistical Surveys of Representative E-commerce Service Providers in 2019 (the "Circular").
The Circular calls for efforts to: 1. strictly execute the statistical system and improve the mechanism for liaison with enterprises; 2. optimize the composition of samples and highlight industry characteristics; 3. guarantee data quality and ensure statistics are reported in a timely fashion; and 4. deepen vertical coordination and strengthen data application. The Circular states that according to the Statistical Survey System for Representative Enterprises Offering Commerce and Trade Services as filed with and approved by the National Bureau of Statistics ("NBS"), surveys of such representative enterprises include the annual surveys and the monthly surveys. Each entity shall effectively publicize and put into effect the Statistics Law, clearly specify the legal obligation of enterprises to report data, and make sure the timeliness, truthfulness and reliability of the reported data. Also, each entity is required to work effectively on making interpretations before enterprises and make clear the government's obligation of maintaining the confidentiality of the data reported by businesses and the scope of data use. Moreover, the Circular indicates that targets involved in such surveys will be mainly transaction service providers, coupled with a minority of enterprises offering supporting and derivative services. Each region shall make calculations and work out an annual statistical statement for e-commerce industry in the local region, and submit it to the MOFCOM by May 15, 2019.