Officials are forced to give up gambling, girls and gifts

June 1, 2007
Jane Macartney in Beijing

New regulations that specifically ban gambling, girls and gifts have been imposed on Chinese officials abroad by one provincial government, because previous rules were widely ignored.
The announcement, by the prosperous southeastern Zhejiang province, will dismay those officials who view a trip overseas as a reward for good behaviour at home and a chance to misbehave beyond the watchful eye of Communist Party discipline enforcers. It had been forced to issue the new rules, it said, because of the number of officials travelling abroad who violate standing regulations banning bad behaviour.
The notice stipulates that officials will not be allowed to extend their stay overseas, to change their itinerary for any reason or to take part in any activity or conference not related to the purpose of their trip. More specifically, they are banned from taking part in any form of gambling – whether using their own funds or public money. Nor are they allowed to use any pretext to accept an invitation to enter a place of gambling.
Gambling is something of an obsession among Chinese, who spend millions of dollars in a weekend at the Hong Kong races, for example. One mayor of a township in southern Guangdong province – a self-confessed gambling addict – lost £7 million during 257 visits to the gambling tables of Macau. He embezzled most of the funds to finance his addiction and was jailed for 20 years.
The Zhejiang government has also told officials that they must not enter any establishment offering sex shows or sex services, nor are they allowed to include “low-class” entertainments on their travel itineraries. Also strictly banned is the acceptance of gifts.
In addition, they are prohibited from using public funds to pay for extravagant eating and drinking for their personal consumption or to buy gifts.
If they wish to extend their trip overseas, they must pay with their own money. Those who violate these regulations could be criticised, called in for a talk by their leaders or even face disciplinary punishments. In the most egregious cases, they could face criminal proceedings.
The need for the new rules is a sign of the challenges faced by the Communist Party in instilling its traditional and long-prized principles of thrift and self-sacrifice in a generation of officials accustomed to the benefits of market reform.
The booming southern province of Guangdong announced this week that it was to ban a resurgent trend in the keeping of mistresses. The law would stop married people from setting up “love nests” to engage in extra-marital affairs. An official, said: “Adding this provision is aimed at preserving and enhancing marital stability.”
However, many Chinese businessman and government officials regard the keeping of a mistress as an almost essential status symbol to show off their success – whether in making money or making a career.