Public eager to know more about government spending

HOWMUCH DOES THE GOVERNMENT SPEND a year on overseas travel by officials, their business cars and business banquets? Asked the question at the National People's Congress, Minister of Finance Lou Jiwei said there is no clear accounting, and he "roughly estimated" the spending as more than 40 billion yuan ($6.4 billion) dismissing the popular estimation of 300 billion yuan as "nonsense". Comments:

Similar questions have been asked before, and Lou has made a better answer than most of his predecessors by supporting his claim with some data. The problem is, as the senior official in charge of the budget of the whole nation, he, or his ministry, is responsible for getting the details through strict accounting, instead of "roughly estimating". We hope the senior officials can be more professional.

Beijing News, March 7