International trade data are of great importance to planners in the Third World as well as to academic researchers. They are often considered to be the best economic series available. Just how accurate are these data really?

The veil which hid the statistical records of the People’s Republic of China for two decades was raised at the second session of the Vth National People’s Congress. In the following article Prof. Kraus presents the most important official data on the country’s economic development and...