China’s statistics chief Wang Baoan detained in graft investigation
Top state radio apparently caught on back foot by CCDI’s announcement
China’s top statistician was detained on Tuesday as part of a graft investigation, making him the latest senior economic official to fall from grace as the country battles economic and financial headwinds.
The Communist Party’s anti-graft watchdog made the dramatic announcement about National Bureau of Statistics chief Wang Baoan just as state radio aired comments Wang made earlier in the day at a press conference on the economy.
The sound bites were broadcast on state radio’s main daily news bulletin. But minutes later the news presenter read out a brief statement about the investigation into Wang. The apparently hasty arrangement is rare given the tight editorial and censorship procedures at top state media.
The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said Wang was under investigation for “suspected serious violations of discipline”, a phrase that often refers to corruption. The CCDI’s statement was brief and did not suggest what the case might involve.
Wang, 52, was appointed as the bureau’s chief in April.
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Before that, he spent 17 years in the finance ministry, joining in 1998 as a deputy director of its general office. He was later appointed head of the ministry’s policy planning office.