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Gao Shanwen, a Chinese economist known for publicly doubting his country's official GDP figures, has died.
Online commenters called him a "truth teller." In a country operating under strict censorship, that designation marks something specific: a willingness to state what official channels do not.
A rare domestic dissenter Public questioning of China's official economic data by economists inside the country is uncommon.
GDP figures that diverge from official tallies are a sensitive subject in a media environment where information is closely managed. Gao built his reputation on stating that skepticism openly.
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