Belt-tightening works: China’s official spending on perks well under budget last year

Amid an ongoing austerity drive, China’s once-lavish government spending on overseas travel, vehicles and entertainment was almost 15 per cent lower than the total funds that were budgeted for it last year, the Finance Ministry said on Wednesday.

Only 5.37 billion yuan (US$826 million) was spent in 2015 out of a budget of 6.31 billion yuan, according to a report on the ministry’s website Wednesday said

Although this year’s budget for the three items, known colloquially as the “three publics”, was only slightly lower, spending would continue to be tightly controlled, the ministry quoted an unidentified ministry spokesman as saying.

“The ‘three publics budget’ is only an upper-spending limit," a ministry spokesman was quoted as saying. “All departments must strictly control ‘three publics’ spending within the budget range and in conformity with all relevant management regulations.”

With China’s economy slowing sharply from the runaway growth of the past decade, belt-tightening has been ordered across China’s government — with a special focus on what are widely regarded as perks open to abuse.