Clampdown on government worker junkets

The Beijing government will impose tougher restrictions and place stricter audits on its workers' overseas trips in the wake of scandals in Guangdong province, where officials turned business trips into lavish junkets.

The Beijing Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau issued a directive on Wednesday calling on workers to "lower costs and tighten training disciplines to improve the orientation and effectiveness of training."

The directive said government agencies in the city must now disclose internally the goals, duration, schedule and costs of overseas trips for the purpose of training and development if the information is not classified.