Press Release No. 14/520

Press Release: IMF Managing Director Welcomes China’s Subscription to the SDDS

November 15, 2014

Ms. Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), issued the following statement today in response to China’s announcement that it intends to subscribe to the Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS):

“I welcome China's intention to subscribe to the SDDS, which will greatly enhance the availability of timely and comprehensive economic and financial data. I appreciate China’s commitment to improve the dissemination of statistics, and note the progress that has been made in recent years. China’s intention to graduate from the General Data Dissemination System (GDDS) to the SDDS is the next significant step in this process.

“The Fund is already working closely with the Chinese authorities and a mission is expected to arrive in Beijing in early December 2014 to formally assess China's subscription to the SDDS.”