China’s Statistics Bureau chief under investigation for ‘serious violations’

BEIJING - The latest senior official implicated in Xi Jinping’s nationwide anti-corruption campaign is 52-year-old Wang Bao’an, head of China’s National Bureau of Statistics. The Central Commission for Discipline Investigation said yesterday that Wang is under investigation for “serious violations,” just hours after he attended a press conference on China’s economy and stock market, the Shanghai Daily reported.

The official statement did not give any more details about the investigation, but State media has inferred that the use of the word “violations” contains a general reference to corruption.

 It was Wang who officially announced China’s latest set of economic data, including the 2016 China GDP figure of 6.9%. After serving as Deputy Finance Minister for three years, Wang was appointed head of China’s Statistics Bureau in April last year.

At yesterday’s press conference, Wang expressed confidence and reassured investors that “China’s economy will be supported by urbanisation, consumption and other positive factors”.

Wang is the latest in a long line of high-ranking officials caught up in China’s sweeping anti-corruption drive. At the beginning of the year, President Xi Jinping said that 2016 will not see a slowing down in momentum of the campaign, but rather an increased pace with a particular focus on grass-roots efforts. www.webershandwick.cn (ATI),