HOHHOT - China's auditors have demoted or removed 16,000 government officials or leaders of state firms in economic accountability audits since 1999, the country's chief auditor said Thursday.

Auditing authorities also handed over more than 7,600 government officials or company leaders to inspection authorities and judicial organs for abuse of power for personal gains in the period, Liu Jiayi, head of the National Audit Office, said at a meeting in Hohhot, capital of Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

Economic accountability audits evaluate the performances of leading Party and government officials and leaders of state-owned enterprises (SOE). Such audits include how they manage and utilize public funds, national resources, state capital and social funds.

In 1999, the State Council started the audits for government leaders at or below county levels and leading persons of SOEs, and extended the audit to higher levels.

Liu said the authorities have audited 430,000 officials and company leaders in more than 10 years, including more than 150 provincial-level and ministry-level officials and leaders of centrally-administered SOEs.

Liu called for the country's auditors to step up audits of officials and leaders at all levels in the future.