China’s growth figures fail to add up

Re:China’s growth figures fail to add up by tokenadult on Wednesday August 05, 2009 @05:53PM (#744360)

"Even state-controlled media reports and editorials have in recent days raised questions over their accuracy.

"The Global Times, controlled by the People’s Daily, the Communist party mouthpiece, reported that the public reacted with 'banter and sarcasm' to NBS figures showing average urban wages in China rose 13 per cent in the first half to $2,142.

"It quoted an online poll showing 88 per cent of respondents doubted the official numbers."

When state-controlled media can post stories critical of other state agencies, that's a pretty good indicator of eroding trust.

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Re:China’s growth figures fail to add up by jhancock on Wednesday August 05, 2009 @11:09PM (#744712)

As to why the number are odd, its anyone's guess. I'm sure there are competing interests at various gov levels that would over or under-report. Just as likely is the various accounting systems for determining the numbers are flawed. Possibly not intentionally flawed, but these number are hard to assess. So its not surprising to see when you aggregate them and pull from different sources (different methods of reporting and guessing at the numbers) you may see wild discrepancies. I doubt that numbers over the last 8 years were correct either. The difference is no one cared to question them.

As to the view that its a landmark for the Chinese press to openly suspect the numbers, I don't think its such a landmark. I read the Shanghai and China Daily papers (English) every day while in Shanghai. I've been reading them for years. There is always info on gov corruption, fund misuse, crime, etc in the papers. I find the reporting style much better than most mass media U.S. papers. There are certain hot button issues that are suppressed, but that takes an active effort on each issue. Lots of negative information gets printed.

Let me put it another way. What is the current debt obligations of all investments banks on Wall Street? The numbers I've read (from different seemingly credible sources) are wildly different.

I would guess that most locals in China when reading something like "average urban wages in China rose 13 per cent" take it as laughable. Not just because they don't feel it in their own pocket, but they know its almost impossible to know such a number.

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Re:China’s growth figures fail to add up by seldo on Wednesday August 05, 2009 @07:40PM (#744489)

Or possibly emerging freedoms.

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Re:China’s growth figures fail to add up by tokenadult on Wednesday August 05, 2009 @09:07PM (#744604)

possibly emerging freedoms

I hope so. Things looked that way in 1989.

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Re:China’s growth figures fail to add up by papersmith on Thursday August 06, 2009 @01:50AM (#744884)

I wouldn't say the protest was without fruit. Much of the economic progress of the 90s owe to the government trying to please an impoverished population. Empty stomach sits at the root of much political changes in history, ideologies ride the hunger waves.

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