Audit finds key projects lagging

A nationwide audit shows that 23.7 percent of the key construction projects aimed at helping China's economy maintain stable growth are behind schedule, China's top auditing authority said on Thursday.

The National Audit Office published the results of an audit that was conducted in August in 29 province-level regions, 29 central departments and seven State-owned enterprises to assess their implementation of growth-stabilizing measures.

The findings came as the central government has accelerated spending on major infrastructure projects as part of an effort to arrest the slowdown in economic growth.