Officials go underground to defeat moves to curb their lavish feasting
Officials dodge Xi Jinping's curbs on luxury by turning canteens into five-star restaurants and meeting businessmen away from public gaze
Xi Jinping's call for officials to cut down on extravagance and feasting appears to have hit a snag at the local level.
Officials from four different regions have told the South China Morning Post that the banquets have merely gone underground, where they are now being held in much more lavish style.
Two officials in Fujian province said many canteens in government departments had been renovated and had hired chefs from the region's finest restaurants after outside banquets were banned as part of the Communist Party leadership's anti-corruption and austerity drive.
"Such renovation is not only happening in Fujian, but in many provinces around the country," one of the officials said. "There are plenty of ways at the local level for cities to get around rules from the top."
There are plenty of ways at the local level for cities to get around rules from the top
The official said the renovated canteens were as luxurious as five-star restaurants, with private rooms and fine-dining chefs, and there was "no need for officials to go out to dine under the eyes of the public because everything can be done within the government compound".