BEIJING - China continued to rein in the cost of keeping its central government running in 2010, taking another step toward building an economical government, said a report filed by the country's top auditor.

Of the 54 audited ministries under the State Council, 53 had kept their public operating expenditure under their respective budgets for 2010, Liu Jiayi, head of the National Audit Office, said on Monday in a report to the standing committee of the National People's Congress.

The annual audit for the fiscal year of 2010 covered 467 institutions affiliated with the ministries.

The government had pledged to reduce its running costs in the past three years, with the focus on official receptions, official vehicles and overseas trips paid by public funds.

The annual cost of running the central and local governments had almost reached 900 billion yuan ($138 billion), reported Outlook Weekly magazine, citing official figures.

However, the audit report showed many incidents of misconduct related to public operating expenditure on the part of the ministries or their affiliated institutions.