GDP admissions by local govts due to necessity not sincerity

SO FAR, the governments of Liaoning, the Inner Mongolia autonomous region and Tianjin have reportedly "taken the initiative" to admit that they had exaggerated their economic data in the past few years. China Youth Daily commented on Tuesday:

It is an intriguing timing that these provincial-level governments - more are expected to follow suit as the adulteration is probably not restricted to the three places - have acknowledged the inflation of their economic data, ranging from about 20 percent to 30 percent, mainly the gross domestic product, industrial added value and government revenue, on their own initiatives.

But instead of these governments being courageous, their honesty comes from external pressure.