A YouTube video showed a Chinese person commenting that, in 2018 the economy in Liaoning Province went downhill dramatically. The setting was in a meeting, but the person’s identity is unknown. From the way he talks, he may be a member of the People’s Political Consultative Conference (PPCC) or a government official.
He stated that Shenyang, the capital city of Liaoning, didn’t make its GDP target in 2017 and then its economy slid downhill in 2018 (this means that it didn’t make the 2018 goal either, since Chinese officials always want GDP to surpass the previous year).
“When the PPCC members came (to the meeting), they all lowered their heads and avoided the question of making money this year. There were no such scenes (as in early years) where one said ‘I made 50 million yuan (US $7.5 million)’ and another one said ‘I made 800 million.’”
“I take full responsibility to tell you all, that all I gained in 2018 was only age but no wealth. However much you invested, that is how much you would lose. We now claim (Shenyang) made 1 trillion yuan (US $150 billion) in GDP (in 2018). Dalian city’s economic situation was much better than (Shenyang), but it only reported 700 billion yuan. We shouldn’t give too excessively big a number in our government report.”