CHANGSHA -- A central Chinese city has taken an unusual step to curb nepotism by banning associations of alumni, county fellows and combat veterans among its officials.

The move came in a guideline recently issued by the city government of Chenzhou in Hunan Province. It is common for Chinese from the same university, hometown or troops to form such loose associations to weave personal networks. But Li Xiaohua, vice party secretary of Chenzhou, said many officials resorted to such "faction forming" to seek illegal profits.

The city has threatened officials with punishments ranging from warnings to dismissal if they cross the line.

Battling corruption has been a central task of the Communist Party of China since Xi Jinping took the helm in 2012. Since then, luxury banquets, private clubs and deluxe government compounds have come under fire for their connection to corruption.

On July 31, China's central authority imposed strict restrictions on officials attending expensive training programs after Xinhua revealed the trend for officials to attend EMBA classes to network with businessmen.