Experts say the sort of exact estimates attributed to the Beijing Weather Modification Office official by Xinhua -- 16 million tons of extra snow -- is nearly impossible to make for any individual storm, although statistics gathered painstakingly over years can enable estimates of the effectiveness of longer-term efforts.
On his recent visit to China, treasury chief John Snow hectored his hosts less about the allegedly undervalued yuan and more about Beijing's moving faster to open its financial services industry to foreign investment and competition.