According to the Audit Law of the People’s Republic of China and theRegulations for the Implementation of the Audit Law of the People’s Republic of China, the basic duties and responsibilities of audit institutions in China are:

Audit institutions in China carry out audit over the following:

—  budget implementation and other government revenues and expenditures at the corresponding levels;

—  budget implementation, final accounts and other government revenues and expenditures of departments (including the departments directly subordinate to them) at the corresponding levels and of the people’s governments at lower levels;

—  financial revenues and expenditures of state institutions as well as other public organizations using government funds;

—  financial revenues and expenditures of the central bank;

—  assets, liabilities, profits and losses of state-owned financial institutions and the financial institutions where state-owned capital dominates or predominates;

—  assets, liabilities, profits and losses of  state-owned enterprises and the enterprises with state-owned capital controlling their shares or playing a leading role;

—  budget implementation and final accounts in respect of the construction projects fully or mainly financed by government investment;

—  financial revenues and expenditures involving social security funds, public donations and other related funds and capital which are managed by government departments or other units authorized by the government;

—  financial revenues and expenditures in connection with the projects for which aid or loans are provided by international organizations or governments of other countries;

—  the performance of accountabilities of the principal leading persons of local Party committees, governments, judicial organs and procuratorate organs, the principal leading persons of central and local Party and governmental departments, public institutions and people’s organizations, and the heads of state-owned enterprises.

CNAO audits the implementation of the budget of the central government as well as other government revenues and expenditures, and submits reports on the audit results to the Premier. Local audit institutions at various levels audit the budget implementation at their corresponding levels as well as other government revenues and expenditures, and submit reports on the audit results to the people’s governments at their corresponding levels and to the audit institutions at the next higher levels.

Every year, audit institutions at various levels present a report on the audit of budget implementation and other government revenues and expenditures to the standing committee of the people’s congresses at their corresponding levels on behalf of their corresponding level people’s governments.

With regard to the specific matters relating to state revenues and expenditures, audit institutions have the power to carry out special audit investigation and report the results thereof to the people’s governments at the corresponding levels and to the audit institutions at their next higher levels.

Audit institutions provide professional guidance and supervision over internal auditing and have the power to check the audit reports produced by the public audit firms.

The Opinions on Strengthening Audit work, issued by the State Council in October 2014 specifies that audit institutions should fully cover the entire entities subject to audit in auditing the implementation of major government policies and measures targeted at ensuring steady growth, promoting reform and economic restructuring, benefiting people’s livelihood and preventing risks, and in auditing public funds, state-owned assets, state-owned resources and the economic accountability of leaders.