Two more Chinese provinces found faking economic data

Two more mainland provinces have been found falsifying economic data, dealing a fresh blow to central government attempts to improve the credibility of the nation’s statistics.

The Communist Party’s anti-graft watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, said in a statement on Monday that Inner Mongolia and Jilin had cooked some of their figures. But the CCDI did not elaborate on the scope or time span of the falsification.

The revelation comes just a few months after officials in Liaoning, a rust-belt province neighbouring Jilin and Inner Mongolia, were exposed for falsifying economic data from 2011 to 2014. Liaoning reported a rare economic contraction of 2.5 per cent last year.

Inner Mongolia, a major source of coal, reported a 7.2 per cent rise in its gross domestic product last year, while Jilin grew 6.9 per cent. Both beat the national average of 6.7 per cent last year.

The crackdown on fraudulent data reflects Beijing’s desire for reliable information for setting the overall economic direction. The Central Leading Group for Comprehensively Deepening ­Reforms headed by President Xi Jinping said in October that it would raise the standard of economic data.