Conference austerity police put a new twist on 'personalised' bottled water

Beijing has ratcheted up its campaign against waste and extravagant spending by government officials ahead of the annual parliamentary sessions next week, ordering luxurious dishes to be dropped from the menu and bottled water to be tagged with the names of delegates, the Beijing Times reported yesterday.

A senior staff member at the Beijing International Hotel, where some meetings will be held, told the paper that tea ladies would not be serving delegates.

Instead, they had been asked by the authorities to distribute bottled water marked with delegates' names and not to give them a second bottle unless they have finished the first.

In the past, unfinished bottles were dumped after the meeting, the paper reported.

A source told the South China Morning Post the National People's Congress rolled out guidelines earlier this year to control costs, streamline bureaucracy, cut waste and curb extravagance during sessions.

The guidelines did not give detailed instructions on bottled water.