The EO found that from 2004 to 2006, the sum of capital appropriated against regulation during central government budget implementation, as uncovered by the NAO, was 9.06, 5.51, and 46.8 billion yuan for the three years respectively. One source from NAO says those funds did not reach their objectives because of improper management that was unintentional.

In the wake of the "audit storm", the NAO has provided clues to the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Supervision for 28 criminal cases. But not one senior official has resigned or been fired.

China has recently seen investigations in administrative accountability after sudden, high-profile events. It can be traced back to the SARS period in 2003. After the epidemic’s cover-up, thousand of officials were investigated and removed, including the director of the Ministry of Health and two Beijing mayors.

Ma Fucai, general manager of PetrolChina, resigned after the blowout incident in Jing county, Sichuan province in December 2003. And Xie Zhenhua was dismissed from his position due to Songhua River pollution incidents in November of 2005. But only after memos reached the upper levels of government did accountability probes begin.

Fixing the System

Tangjun, a professor at the School of Public Administration, Renmin University, says that internal accountability probes are not as good as independent, third-party ones. The NPC or its standing committee, supervising agencies, the judiciary, democratic parties, the public, and the media should all be involved. According to one official from the NAO, the agency is an administrative body and its primary duty is to uncover malfeasance and specify a timeline for its rectification. Pinpointing accountability is beyond the scope of its duties.

Li Jinhua and other senior auditors are most eager to bind the auditing process to an accountability system. When questioned about his audits' "having thunder but no rain", Li has expressed his hopes of building up an accountability system, saying that he doesn't advocate audit storms because they seem like exercises or publicity stunts. The audits are part of a system, and measures to investigate accountability should also be systematized. It shouldn't take events like the fake baby milk powder deaths to spur on these big sweeps. Without this, audits will just continue to be paper tigers.

Some of those interviewed for this article say that the audit has pushed the issue of establishing such a system to the forefront of administrative reform. Experts say that the Government Functionary Law, which came out after the 16th national congress, was an initial step towards the goal of creating a government that is ruled by law within ten years. The 17th congress may continue to carry this torch for those hoping that the trend for more accountability continue.