visited Beijing this month she did her bit for the local restaurant trade. America’s treasury secretary dined with her team at an establishment known for Yunnanese dishes, which subsequently unveiled a “God of Wealth” menu in her honour. She also hosted a lunch with female entrepreneurs and economists .
China’s “nominal” growth, before adjusting for inflation, was also weaker than the inflation-adjusted figure; something that has happened only four times in the past 40 quarters. It suggests that the price of Chinese goods and services is falling. Indeed, it implies they fell by 1.4% in the year to the second quarter, which would be the sharpest drop since the global financial crisis .
Some members of the public feel the economy is doing even worse than the official figures suggest. There is a “temperature difference” between the macroeconomic data and “micro feelings”, as one commentator put it. In response, Mr Fu of the National Bureau of Statistics pointed out that macroeconomic data is more comprehensive and reliable than “micro feelings”—prompting a netizen to joke that if state statisticians say you are okay, you should adjust your feelings accordingly.
This lack of urgency may reflect the government’s enduring confidence in the recovery. Officials may believe that the economy still has enough momentum to meet their targets for the year, including forgrowth of around 5%. The government’s restraint may also betray its misgivings about additional stimulus. .