Private clubs are targeted by anti-graft campaign

China's top anti-corruption agency has pledged to crack down on extravagance and excess formality that takes place discreetly at private clubs.

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China issued a regulation on Monday that requires all government officials not to attend banquets and recreational activities at private clubs - the new strongholds of corruption.

In recent years, the facilities of some public parks and historic sites have been transformed into private clubs, where government officials secretly continue their extravagant lifestyles and even conduct power-for-money deals despite anti-graft calls from the Party's Central Committee, the commission said.