Sceptics about China’s economic statistics have taken a special pleasure in revelations of faked data in the north-eastern province of Liaoning dating at least to 2011. Along with an officially reported contraction in its economy last year, they have given the impression that Liaoning’s economy is unusually troubled. That impression may be unfair to Liaoning.
In 2007 when he was party secretary of Liaoning, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang made waves when he declared China’s gross domestic product figures “man-made”.
Even president Xi Jinping weighed in on Liaoning’s data-faking last week, telling the province’s delegation to China’s annual legislative meeting that “the practice must be stopped”.