While many believed that it was unfair not to give these active users a second chance, others argued that a zero tolerance policy must be the standard.

Unfortunately, the standard definition of a second relies on what the atom does at a temperature of absolute zero. Real clocks need to run at room temperature, where the shell of electrons puffs up.

Stephen Green, an economist at Standard Chartered, expects China's real export growth to fall to zero by the end of this year and to turn negative next year.