The reported economic output of China’s provinces exceeded the national figure by US$1 trillion (RMB6.06 trillion), or 10.7%, in 2013, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing data published by local governments since December. This gap stood at 11% in 2012. Last year’s narrowing of the gap between the national statistics and the provincial total, for the first time in six years, suggests that regional officials are heeding directives from President Xi Jinping and his team to shift their attention toward more sustainable expansion, including reducing debt and pollution. Communist Party leaders have vowed to reduce the focus on growth in evaluating local officials.
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