Latest GDP figure is right on the money, says official

A National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) official has rebuffed claims that the NBS could not have accurately produced its latest half-year economic data in the 15-day period it took to compile, pointing out that the department has the resources to ensure accuracy and efficiency.

The Heritage Foundation, a Washington-based conservative think-tank, had earlier questioned the reliability of China's economic data in a report entitled "China Refuses to Adjust Its Economy".

The report's author, Derek Scissors, a research fellow in Asian economic policy with the think-tank, asked in the report how China could "survey the economic progress of 1.3 billion people" in 15 days, concluding the economic results were "manufactured to suit the Communist Party".