China suspends PMI data in added hurdle for scrutiny of economy

© Khunaspix Dreamstime.

“If the evidence doesn’t support the data, then do away with the data,” appears to be the new way that the Chinese government is dealing with the continual stream of inconvenient facts that suggest the world’s second largest economy is in the midst of a prolonged slowdown. That would appear to be the reason behind Beijing’s decision to stop publishing the widely read purchasing manager index from its logistics federation – if only because the government has so far refused to explain its reasoning, making analysts’ jobs even harder. However, this South China Morning Post article indicates an economy on the precipice of decline.