China remains the largest developing country in the world, as shown by the latest World Bank report, the National Statistical Society of China (NSSC) said.

　　The comment came after the International Comparison Program (ICP) 2017, released by the World Bank on Tuesday, revealed that China's GDP ranked first in the world based on purchasing power parity (PPP).

　　However, China's PPP-based GDP per capita was only 85.3 percent of the world average in 2017, ranking 90th globally, down 11 places from its ranking in exchange rate-based GDP per capita.

　　"Obviously, there is a large gap compared with developed countries," the NSSC said in a statement posted on the website of China's National Bureau of Statistics.

　　The Chinese government has repeatedly stated that China is the world's largest developing nation, despite rapid economic growth over the past four decades.

　　The status has implications for global trade. The US excluded China from its developing country list in February, a move that would end some of the favorable conditions enjoyed by Chinese companies.

　　Lian Ping, head of Zhixin Investment Research Institute, told the Global Times on Wednesday that the PPP-based GDP data provide a worthy perspective, but it shouldn't be over-emphasized.

　　"It should be used as a reference to guide policymakers to find and fix a country's development problems," Lian said, noting that the method doesn't take a country's scientific and financial power into consideration.

　　"Even though China's PPP-based GDP has surpassed that of the US, many countries lead China by a wide 's standing as the world's largest developing economy

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