China “facts” of the day

The reports have come in:

All but seven of the regions reported GDP growth rates above the
bureau’s first-half figure of 7.1 per cent. At the start of the year,
Beijing set 8 per cent as China’s growth target for the year.

…In recent years, provincial figures have suggested consistently the
world’s third-largest economy is bigger than Beijing’s published
estimate, but the discrepancy appears to have widened this year.

…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 is noted that the state worked on the gdp numbers for a full fifteen days.  Yet not everyone is happy:

The criticism has prompted the NBS to launch a campaign last week,
entitled “Statistical Feelings: We have walked together – Celebrating
the 60th anniversary of the founding of New China,” to boost confidence
among statisticians.

The campaign has already produced works such
as: “I’m proud to be a brick in the statistical building of the
republic.” In another poem, a contributor writes: “I can rearrange the
stars in the sky because I have statistics.”

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