From Chinese Press

For real GDP data

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-06-08 07:46

The public should help the central government in its efforts to put an end to fake GDP and other figures, says an article on sxgov.cn. Excerpts:

The public and the media are not the only ones to view China's shining GDP figures with doubt every time they are announced, even the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) chief Ma Jiantang once said he was ashamed that figures had been fudged.

The NBS and the ministries of Supervision and Justice have decided to employ inspectors to check on departments and other organizations that issue fake GDP figures and punish the officials responsible for their publication.

But the public is not likely to expect much from such a crackdown because similar measures in the past have failed to stop the practice. Many blame the tacit understanding between the inspectors and officials of the departments that fudge figures for the failure.

The authorities have to invite the public and the media to supervise the inspecting teams' work if they seriously want to end this shameful and harmful practice. That will break the tacit understanding between inspectors and officials, too.

(China Daily 06/08/2010 page9)