CPC leadership approves anti-extravagance rules

BEIJING - The Communist Party of China (CPC) leadership on Tuesday approved a regulation to fight waste and extravagance among Party and government departments, calling for strengthened supervision and harsher punishments for violators.

"In recent years, some Party and government departments occasionally competed for ostentation and extravagance, which led to huge spending and waste as well as strong reactions from the people," said a statement released after a Tuesday meeting of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau.

At the meeting, which was presided over by CPC leader Xi Jinping, the political bureau approved and agreed to publicize the Regulation on Strictly Enforcing Thrift and Fighting Waste in Party and Government Departments.

According to the statement, the regulation aims to strictly limit, supervise and punish various violations related to spending using public money.

The regulation offers comprehensive stipulations that cover public fund management, domestic and overseas trips, business receptions, meetings and other official activities, the use of non-private vehicles and offices as well as resource savings.

The statement urged various Party and government departments to resolutely follow the requirements in the regulation, with principal officials leading and supervising the campaign.

According to the statement, departments at all levels should map out detailed measures under the frame of the regulation in accordance with the realities of their own work, ensuring strengthened supervision and harsher punishments for violators on a case by case basis.

The regulation is part of the ongoing "mass line" campaign that aims to boost ties between CPC officials and members and the public, while cleaning up undesirable work styles such as formalism, bureaucracy, hedonism and extravagance.

In addition, it was decided at the meeting that the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee will be held between November 9 and November 12 in Beijing.