BEIJING (Reuters) - China's preliminary fiscal deficit for 2016 was 2.83 trillion yuan ($413 billion) exceeding the budget target of 2.18 trillion yuan, according to a Reuters calculation based on data from the finance ministry.
Fiscal expenditure in 2016 rose 6.4 percent from 2015, while revenue increased 4.5 percent, the Ministry of Finance said on Monday.
China has relied on government spending to stabilise economic growth in the past year as private companies pull back, but concerns about the country's debt load are increasing.