China's police arrested 3,790 counterfeiting suspects in 2,830 separate cases last year, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

Fake notes of 230 million yuan (US$27.8 million) face value were confiscated.

But generally, the number of cases and the amount of fake currency dropped in 2003, it said.

From August to November last year, the ministry together with the Chinese People's Bank carried out special operations against forgery, in which 977 cases were unearthed, 1,226 suspects detained and five workshops discovered.

(Xinhua News Agency January 13, 2004)