China Statistics Chief Blasts Data Fabrication

(Beijing) — China's top statistics official on Thursday slammed "periodic" fabrication of official government data, throwing a spotlight on a problem that has drawn widespread criticism.

Ning Jizhe, who heads the National Bureau of Statistics, vowed that those crossing the line will "pay a high price."

"Currently there is still periodic data fabrication in some areas, which violates statistical laws and regulations, goes against the party's ideological path and breaches its disciplinary bottom line," Ning wrote in a commentary carried in People's Daily, the Communist Party's official newspaper.