Government spending

We share some people's disappointment that the budgetary information the city of Guangzhou made public does not offer specifics about some of the most-cared-about parts of government expenditure.

Everyone concerned about the possible corruption and extravagance in official institutions would like to know exactly how much has been spent on receptions, transport and overseas trips. It is so because these are the alleged "black holes" in government spending.

Unidentified "competent authorities" have been quoted as saying that in 2008, public institutions spent upwards of 200 billion yuan ($29.4 billion) on receptions, 400 billion yuan on vehicles, and 300 billion yuan on overseas trips. That is a total of more than 900 billion yuan. Yet, since there has never been an official confirmation in this regard, the scale of government spending has remained a conspicuously "grey area" over the years.