China cautions against corruption, extravagance in holiday

BEIJING -- Agencies directly under the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee have been ordered to step up supervision against corruption and extravagance during the National Day holiday from October 1 to 7.

Party organizations and discipline inspection bodies at local level should watch out for undesirable activity during the holiday, said a circular issued by the discipline inspection working committee, directly under the CPC Central Committee.

Members of the party have been told not to spend public funds on gifts, banquets or sightseeing, as well as not to use public vehicles for private purposes, said the circular.

Chinese people see holidays as a time to nurture bonds with friends, but also as a time to cozy up to government officials, and gift-giving and extravagance are considered preferred methods to bribe officials or business partners.

The circular said that education, supervision and management of party members should be strengthened during the holiday.

It also requested increased inspections to clean up undesirable activity such as formalism, bureaucracy, hedonism and extravagance, in accordance with the "eight-point" guidelines against bureaucracy and extravagance issued by the CPC leadership in late 2012.