Spending by the central government is likely to exceed the budget for this year, but the country will keep its fiscal deficit below three percent this year as planned, Zhang Shaochun, vice minister of finance, said at a briefing Thursday.

China will likely spend more than the 908 billion yuan ($133 billion) the budget called for in public spending this year, Zhang said. By the end of November, 862.6 billion yuan has already been allocated, accounting for 95 percent of the 2009 budget, he said.

Stimulus spending by the central government may also exceed the originally planned amount of 487.5 billion yuan for this year, Zhang said.

China initiated a $586 billion stimulus plan in late 2008 to prevent its economy from slumping as a result of the global financial crisis. That included 1.18 trillion yuan from the central government 487.5 billion yuan of which was earmarked for 2009.

The government spending this year was due to extra investment in subsidizing housing for low-income groups, energy saving and emission cutting programs as well as promoting scientific innovation. But none of that money will cause the budget deficit to exceed three percent, Zhang said, explaining that that was the government's original goal. He did not provide any further details, however.

These efforts have uncovered 198 party officials who violated relevant laws and regulations during the implementation of the stimulus policies, Wang added.

Zhang also stressed China would continue its moderately loose monetary policies in 2010. Officials also warned that some city- and county-level governments are facing serious fiscal pressure because of debt accumulated from costly construction projects.