China’s GDP, dubious COVID statistics and East Timor’s election

Not for the first time, China once again dominated the news this week. The release of new economic data provided a temperature check of the world’s second-largest economy, while dubious COVID-19 death rates focused attention on Beijing’s reputation for secrecy and narrative control at all costs.Elsewhere, Asia’s youngest nation went to the polls, and Japan got a rare taste of rising inflation after decades of sluggish economic growth.