From Xinhua:
Qiu Xiaohua has been removed as director of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) by the State Council, according to an official press release on Thursday.
Xie Fuzhan has been appointed as the NBS director. Meanwhile, the cabinet has appointed Xie Fuzhan as the NBS director and removed his deputy director of the Development Research Center of the State Council, it says. [Full Text]
Also from AP: China replaces outspoken chief statistician, raising speculation over cause for dismissal:
“We don’t know the reason why Qiu was replaced,” an official at the Statistics Bureau’s news department said Friday, speaking on customary condition of anonymity.
China has a long tradition of controversy over its economic statistics, given the tendency of local officials to manipulate data for political gain and the powerful weight such information carries in influencing policy decisions.
