BEIJING China's top legislative body has approved an amended statistics law, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Friday, in the latest move to fight persistent data fraud amid scepticism about the reliability of data in the world's second-largest economy.

Xinhua said the standing committee of the National People's Congress approved the law. It did not give further details.

Earlier this week, state media quoted a spokesperson of the top legislative body as saying the amended law will help strengthen the prevention statistical fraud and increase the punishment of officials for falsifying economic data.

"In recent years, statistical fraud and deception continue despite repeated sanctions, seriously damaging the authenticity and accuracy of statistical data," the spokesperson was quoted as saying.

"The public has strongly reflected on this and it has become one of the prominent problems that urgently need to be solved in statistical work."

Analysts outside China have long been sceptical of the reliability of Chinese data, especially as the government has sought to defuse market concern about a protracted economic slowdown.

The government has repeatedly vowed to investigate and punish officials for forging economic data or interfering in statistical work to help improve the quality of data.

  - Reuters