Beijing district officials build themselves 'Kremlin-like' office complex

Officials in a Beijing suburb have sidestepped President Xi Jinping's crackdown on government waste by building themselves a lavish office complex reminiscent of the Kremlin, the Beijing Youth Daily said.

Mentougou, a largely rural district in western Beijing with some 270,000 residents, is now home to a group of government buildings with onion-shaped golden crowns, arched windows and white walls similar to the Cathedral of Annunciation, the five-century-old Russian Orthodox Church located inside the Kremlin in Moscow.

"Four new buildings appeared that looked just like the Kremlin," a Mentougou resident identified only his family name told the paper.

"It wasn't until we read a sign on one saying 'Meteorological Bureau' that we realised it was a government building."

A man from the Mentougou district press office said he had "seen the building before", but was trying to verify whether it was a government building.

Two Sina Weibo users posted photos and video of the faux Kremlin.