China's economy is facing a chill, and experts and scholars in Beijing are under pressure to avoid discussing bad news.

 According to a report by Central News Agency, seven experts in the field of economics, including industry analysts, think tank researchers, and university scholars, revealed that they have received instructions to refrain from making negative comments on China's economic trends.

These experts stated that they were instructed by their employers to avoid public discussions on certain topics and to steer clear of negative remarks regarding issues like currency tightening and capital outflows in China's economy.

The Financial Times reported that some experts, including think tank scholars and economists from securities firms, expressed that there is now pressure to report economic news positively. Regulatory authorities are keen to avoid hearing negative economic comments in public to bolster public confidence. A central bank advisor remarked that "they want us to interpret bad news from a positive perspective."

The report also mentioned that there is an increasing trend of self-censorship among economic researchers, and in markets where obtaining reliable data is challenging, investors often rely on these experts. This highlights Beijing's efforts to control the flow of information.

Andrew Collier, the Managing Director of Orient Capital Research in Hong Kong, explained that any country would be concerned about an economic slowdown. China aims to project a courageous face to the world, and the leadership particularly emphasizes its image. He added, "When you put these three factors together, it leads to a very opaque economy."

China's Producer Price Index (PPI) has seen negative growth for nine consecutive months from October of last year to June of this year. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) has shown slight fluctuations, with zero growth in June year-on-year. Some experts outside of China frequently point out that the Chinese economy may be experiencing deflation.

Citigroup economists believe that due to weak consumer demand, core commodity prices, excluding volatile food and energy costs, have already entered the "deflation zone." However, Chinese officials deny this situation. The spokesperson for the National Bureau of Statistics of China, Fu Linghui, recently stated that deflation does not exist and will not exist in China.

According to the Financial Times, an economist from a large financial institution in Shanghai mentioned that local television media explicitly stated that only positive comments are allowed. This economist stated that talking about deflation or other economic risks was not an issue last year, but such comments will not appear on TV now, even in pre-recorded interviews.

Some analysts pointed out that Beijing is tightening control over negative comments to boost market confidence, which is crucial for driving economic recovery, as the current confidence level seems insufficient.

The report emphasized that this pressure has led many economists to avoid discussing sensitive topics or using certain vocabulary in research reports or investor conference calls. They now resort to more euphemistic language, such as using "soft inflation" instead of deflation.