The National Audit Office
will focus this year on government budget implementation, the
fiscal status of financial institutions and a number of key
State-owned enterprise, according to sources at a national-level
work conference held on Wednesday in Xiamen, Fujian
Province.
The auditors will also monitor the handling of funds at some
welfare and aid foundations as well as some important road
construction projects, continuing to identify major irregularities
and economic crimes with regard to the implementation of the budget
and the use of funds in these sectors.
This year, the audit office will check the expenses and income
of the China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) and the
liabilities of the Agricultural Bank of China, as well as the
fiscal status of 11 key state enterprises and their top
management.
An "audit storm" swept over China last March, when
Auditor-General Li Jinhua revealed the misuse of huge amounts of
funds at some government departments to top legislators. Li's
findings have led to growing public concern over and scrutiny of
government efficiency and the discipline of public employees.
The state auditors examined 95,000 domestic institutions from
January to November last year, discovering evidence of 1,165
economic crimes. When misappropriated funds are returned and false
financial information is corrected, the government stands to recoup
some 24.5 billion yuan (US$3.0 billion).
(China Daily January 7, 2005)