Michael Pettis

The U.S. Government: Frozen in the Headlights

Thanks for the comments. Yes, Dalmasian, it is often difficult to figure out the real numbers behind official numbers, but the National Bureau of Statistics seems really to be trying to get the numbers right and has made heroic efforts to do so, even though for lots of different reasons (including the speed of China's transformation) it is not always easy. Most of us who watch China closely try to combine official numbers with alternative statistics, gossip and anecdotal evidence. We don't always get it right.