[bratticus]

China defends production data as power output falls

Reuters - Tue Jun 16, 2009 - Beijing

... Industrial output grew 8.9 percent in May from a year earlier, even while electricity production fell an annual 2.7 percent, prompting some economists to say the actual figure for industrial production growth must have been lower because in the past the two figures generally moved in tandem.

... Many economists are sceptical about the quality of China's statistics, which they say are susceptible to political manipulation.