[CND, 06/17/98] Nationwide fraud on statistics is damaging China's economy, an editorial in Wednesday's China Daily warned. "China can no longer afford to neglect or wink at such evil practices," the paper said.

According to a report by AFP, more than 60,000 cases of "irregularity" were reported by China's State Statistics Bureau last year. In 18 per cent of the cases, officials refused to provide data or were tardy. Another 57 percent involved deliberate frauds, with figures distorted or incomplete. Less than half of the cases resulted from inexperience or lack of check. (ZHAO Hua, YIN De An)