Press "Enter" to skip to content

China’s local governments call time on tradition of heavy drinking at official functions By Mimi Lau in South China Morning Post, Dec 4, 2016

Being able to hold one’s liquor used to be a celebrated skill for China’s Communist Party cadres, but local governments are now moving to stop the tradition of heavy drinking at official functions, according to state media.
Many local governments have banned alcohol such as the strong spirit baijiu and expensive drinks at official lunches, Xinhua reported.
The new rules, which go a step further than a national guideline issued in 2013 to tame extravagant lunches, the report said.
In the far western region of Xinjiang, the party has introduced a regulation banning alcohol consumption at official receptions held at any time of day, not just at noon. If an event is for foreign guests, such as government officials or trade delegations, and serving liquor might be appropriate, then approval must be sought from the local discipline and inspection watchdog.
In Anhui province in the southeast, the provincial government issued similar regulations in July, covering not only civil servants but also state enterprises and organisations affiliated with government departments.
How effective the measures will be depends on how well they are implemented. More local graft watchdog units are carrying out undercover inspections during official events to make sure the ban is being observed, according to Xinhua.
In Anhui alone, the province reprimanded 67 cadres in August over violations relating to wine consumption and dining.
In September, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection reported that Mao Zhenbin, a former division chief with the China Food and Drug Administration, had been sacked for drinking during a luncheon.
But according to the report, some individual officials were trying to get around the clampdown by drinking only later in the evening.http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2051190/chinas-local-governments-call-time-tradition-heavy

Comments are closed.