China statistics chief says national economic data authentic

Ning Jizhe, head of the National Bureau of Statistics. [Photo/VCG]

BEIJING - China's statistics at the national level are "authentic and reliable," and the government will resolutely deal with fake economic data in accordance with its laws and regulations, the country's top statistics official said Friday.

Ning Jizhe, head of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), made the remarks at a news briefing in response to reports that China's northeastern rust belt Liaoning province admitted to having falsified economic data for years.

Both the central government and the provincial government of Liaoning have paid close attention to the reportedly fabricated data, which are mostly false fiscal revenue figures, said Ning.

He assured that economic data at the national level are authentic and reliable.

The government of Liaoning admitted in its annual government work report at the plenary meeting of provincial lawmakers earlier this week that there had been false statistics in economic data from the province's cities and counties from 2011 to 2014.

Chinese authorities have always insisted on the authenticity, accuracy, comprehensiveness and timeliness of statistics, said Ning, adding that the NBS has taken a string of measures to ensure that the statistics are true and reliable.

The NBS will urge local statistics departments to intensify law enforcement, supervision and investigation to prevent data fraud in certain regions or by some individuals, he said.

China's economy grew 6.7 percent year-on-year in 2016, well within the government's annual growth target of 6.5 to 7 percent, official data showed Friday.