Head of China's statistics bureau probed for corruption

The head of China's statistics bureau, responsible for calculating the country's economic figures, is being probed for corruption, a watchdog said Tuesday, the latest target of a high-level anti-graft drive. "Wang Baoan is suspected of severe disciplinary violations, he is currently under investigation," the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said in a one-line statement on its website, using a phrase that normally refers to corruption. The announcement came just hours after Wang appeared at a press briefing in Beijing on China's economy in 2015. Last week the National Bureau of Statistics released data that showed China's economy grew at the slowest pace in 25 years. Wang reiterated on Tuesday that the country's gross domestic product calculations were reliable, Chinese media reported, despite widespread criticism of the data. Questions have repeatedly been raised about the accuracy of official Chinese economic statistics, which critics say can be subject to political manipulation. Wang was appointed head of the National Bureau of Statistics in April of last year. He previously spent about 17 years in various positions in the finance ministry. Official allegations of graft against high-level politicians are generally followed by an internal probe by China's Communist Party, and sometimes lead to criminal proceedings almost guaranteed to end in conviction. Internal investigations into high-level party officials operate without judicial oversight. Once announced, they are likely to lead to a sacking followed by criminal prosecution and jail sentence. Authorities have been pursuing a hard-hitting campaign against allegedly crooked officials since President Xi Jinping took office in 2013, a crusade that some experts have called a political purge.