EDITORIAL: China’s rhetoric will hurt its economyThis year is set to start positively in terms of stock market performance, after equities trading on the Taiwan Stock Exchange and the over-the-counter Taipei Exchange last week rose 1.9 percent and 0.5 percent respectively. Moreover, it showed that China plans to go on the offensive to stifle negative commentary about its economy and financial market. It is clear that Beijing regards negative commentary on the economy as a security concern. It explains why the Chinese Ministry of State Security in the following days issued documents for three consecutive days warning that commentary badmouthing the Chinese economy intended to play down the country’s positive prospects. This comes at a time when a growing range of topics are viewed by Chinese authorities as being sensitive to its economy.
