HANGZHOU, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- BRICS should work more closely in the statistical field, China's top statistician said Thursday.

Speaking at a meeting of statistics chiefs from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, Ning Jizhe, head of China's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), proposed more meetings between BRICS statisticians with more collaboration, communication and coordination.

Ning also suggested that more indicators of sustainablity be added to the BRICS Joint Statistics Publication, an annual report on social and economic development, to emphasize the role of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Statistics and monitoring should focus on new economic drivers and new industries, Ning said.

At Thursday's meeting, the NBS unveiled an index tracking the performance of China's new growth drivers, which is constituted by five sub-indices for economic vitality, innovation and the digital economy.

The ninth BRICS summit, which concluded Tuesday in the southeastern city of Xiamen, adopted a declaration reaffirming the spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation.