China auditors uncover irregularities in foreign loan projects

China's top auditing agency said on Wednesday that 5.02 billion yuan (815 million U.S. dollars) has been used improperly in projects funded through foreign aid and loans. The National Audit Office (NAO) announced the results in its annual report on foreign loans and aid projects in 2011, surveying 94 projects involving 27.57 billion yuan in foreign funds. The general situation is good, although some problems remain, the report noted. It found that 29.27 million yuan was embezzled in four projects. Fraudulent listings of expenditures, inaccurate financial statements and illegal bidding and subcontracting were among the illegal acts committed, NAO said.