On Friday, China announced that for the year 2008, the country's economy grew by 9.6%, instead of the earlier announced 9%, a revision that has been revealed after the figures were revisited.

According to the latest national economic census, the country's economy over the past year was worth 31.4 Trillion Yuan, as has been confirmed by the National Bureau of Statistics Ma Jiantang, which is the equivalent of 4.6 Billion Dollars on the basis of the current exchange rate.

"China always finds it hard to get accurate statistics about the services sector, and the upward revision is not a surprise", said Zhang Xiaojing, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Currently designated as the world's third-largest economy, China enjoyed a growth in double-digits for 5 consecutive years, starting from 2003 till the slowing down last year on the back of the global financial meltdown.

For the upcoming year, Government officials have shared that China is aiming at a growth of at least 8%, a target which has consistently been set for 5 years now, and exceeded every year.