On Sept. 10 the National Bureau of Statistics published revised Measures for
Classifying Statistical Units and Specific Handling, effective Jan. 1, 2027. The
revision replaces the prior “on-site” statistical principle with a “location of
economic activity” principle and adds definitions for “location of economic
activity” and rules for identifying a unit’s “primary location of main economic
activity." Where a unit has multiple locations, the primary location is normally
the site with the largest share of operating revenue (wholesale and retail use
gross margin). For new-economy cases, units conducting economic activity on
internet platforms will be counted under the location-of-economic-activity
principle; online and offline activities follow the same statistical standard.
