At least two reports by well-known economists questioning China’s surprisingly strong economic data were deleted from the Chinese social media site Wechat in the last day, indicating the government’s sensitivity about the economy.
A post by JD.com Inc. chief economist Shen Jianguang arguing that there are multiple contradictions behind the strong data was taken down Wednesday by Tencent Holdings Ltd, owner of the mobile application. The error massage said the article “violates regulations” and was taken down due to “relevant complaints”, without giving further explanation.