Vice Premier Li Keqiang has been appointed director of the leading group of the country's second economic census, the State Council, or Cabinet, said Tuesday.

Deputy directors include You Quan, deputy secretary general of the State Council, Xie Fuzhan, director of the National Bureau of Statistics, Zhu Zhixin, vice minister of the National Development and Reform Commission, and Li Dongsheng, deputy chief of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee.

The leading group will be responsible for organizing and launching the second economic census and coordinating major problems occurring in the census, the State Council said.

China will conduct its second national economic census in 2008 to gather accurate data for scientific policy making, the State Council said in a notice in November.

The census will help to facilitate more effective macro-economic controls and more scientific mid- and long-term economic planning.

(Xinhua News Agency April 23, 2008)