‘Wish you weren’t here’: Chinese officials told to stop holding junkets at tourist sites
Pictures of cities and attractions ruled out of bounds for officials' meetings in China posted on anti-corruption department's website, along with a warning to stay away
China’s top anti-corruption agency took the unusual step on Friday of plastering its website with pictures of 21 tourist sites where officials are banned from holding meetings, a reminder of its crackdown on extravagance and corruption.
The government issued rules in September to stop such meetings at these hot spots, saying they were a waste of public funds and had ignited popular anger.
As the country marked the Labour Day holiday, the party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection’s normally quite staid website posted pictures of the 21 no-go zones under the caption: “Though these sites are good, just don’t meet there!”
The sites include the Badaling sector of the Great Wall outside Beijing, the old summer residence of the Qing emperors at Chengde and the beach resort of Sanya, which the mainland likes to style its answer to Hawaii or Bali.
“For goodness sake, don’t go to these famous scenic sites for meetings, got it?” the watchdog said.
Officials have been known to use the excuse they are on official business to get the government to pay for holiday trips.
