China corruption: Communist Party expels ex-Nanjing chief for ‘faking economic figures’

Zhang Jinghua was found to have ‘faked economic figures for personal promotion and meddled in market activities in violation of relevant rules’

The former deputy party chief of Jiangsu province is also accused of accepting ‘money and gifts’ and ‘seeking benefits for others in appointment of officials’

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China’s government is still struggling with officials fabricating data even after a crackdown on the problem in recent years. Shutterstock

Published: 3:33pm, 1 Jun 2022Updated: 4:19pm, 1 Jun 2022

China has expelled a former top official of eastern Jiangsu province from the Communist Party with a rare accusation of fabricating economic data.

Zhang Jinghua, a former deputy party chief of Jiangsu, was found to have “faked economic figures for personal promotion and meddled in market activities in violation of relevant rules,” the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) said in a statement on Tuesday.

It did not provide specifics of the accusation, but it is rare for senior provincial officials to face such a charge.

Last week, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said lower-level officials in Hebei, Henan and Guizhou provinces had been punished for fabricating data on fixed-asset investment, retail sales and other areas.

China’s government is still struggling with officials fabricating data even after a crackdown on the problem in recent years, the CCDI’s newspaper said in an article in March.

Statistics authorities across the country have long been criticised for releasing questionable data and overestimating economic growth, population and many other indicators.