The article said Mr Wen’s family members “have controlled assets worth at least US$2.7billion”.
A Foreign Ministry spokesman said the report had “ulterior motives”.
Both the NYT’s Chinese and English sites are being blocked inside China, as are references to the report on micro-blogging sites.
“Some reports smear China and have ulterior motives,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said when asked about the story in a daily press briefing. On the blocking, he said the internet was managed “in accordance with laws”.
In its report, the New York Times said Mr Wen’s relatives’ holdings included property, insurance and construction firms.
“Many relatives of Wen Jiabao, including his son, daughter, younger brother and brother-in-law, have become extraordinarily wealthy during his leadership,” the newspaper wrote.
“In many cases, the names of the relatives have been hidden behind layers of partnerships and investment vehicles involving friends, work colleagues and business partners.”
The family’s investments reportedly spanned several sectors. The newspaper cited one holding as Ping An, an insurance company which it said had benefited from reforms enacted in 2004 by a state body over which Mr Wen had oversight.
It said that partnerships controlled by Mr Wen’s relatives, along with their friends and colleagues, had bought into the firm before its IPO, or stock market flotation, in 2004, and held as much as $2.2bn in the company in 2007.
The newspaper said both the Chinese government and Mr Wen’s relatives declined to comment on the investigation, which was based on corporate records from 1992-2012.
BBC
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