CPC to ban excessive benefits for officials

The Communist Party of China will strictly regulate officials' entitlement to welfare benefits as part of a new Party management and supervision plan, Xinhua News Agency reported on Nov 28.

On Nov 27, the CPC published an outline for plans to amend and add a set of rules to improve Party management and supervision in the coming five years. The outline is the first of its kind since the establishment of the CPC in 1921.

The outline included rules on strengthening oversight of CPC officials, to sort out local policies that do not comply with policies mapped out by the central authority, and to strictly prohibit providing excessive benefits to officials.

Xinhua published a policy interpretation of the outline on Thursday, and quoted experts specialized in governance.

Zhang Xixian, a professor at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, told Xinhua that some local Party committee and governments are overstaffed, and some are providing excessive welfare benefits without authorization.

The plan requires standardizing the officials' entitlement to housing, office, vehicles, secretaries, medical services, vacation, transportation and security guards to guarantee the necessary needs while keeping it frugal and simple.