China Cracks Down on Data Fraud to Boost Statistics' Credibility
• China warns falsifying data is "biggest corruption in statistical sphere" amid crackdown, saying it misleads decisions and damages credibility • Data fabrication now a violation of Communist Party discipline, punishable by warnings to expulsion • Accuracy of China's economic data long questioned; gap between reality and official figures • Data fabrication cases revealed over years as local officials inflate figures to meet targets • Emphasis comes as national economic census underway, to show pandemic's influence and coping since reopening