China delays key economic data releases amid Communist party congress

China suddenly postponed the release of key economic data a day before its scheduled release.The country's National Bureau of Statistics updated its schedule Monday, with the dates of several economic indicators, including closely watched GDP growth, marked "delayed".

Indicators due to be released Tuesday also include quarterly retail sales, industrial production and monthly unemployment rates.

The bureau did not give a reason for the delay or set a new publication date.Separately, the country's customs office also delayed the publication of monthly trade data, which was originally scheduled to be released Friday.The delayed long-awaited data coincides with the 20th Communist Party congress in Beijing.

Iris Pang, chief economist at ING Greater China, explained the postponement of publications was forced due to the 20th Party Congress, which is certainly a significant event in China. They would like to minimize other information sources so as not to create general confusion against the backdrop of the party congress.

Other analysts attribute this to the fact that the data results may not have reflected appropriate scores