Institutionalized austerity takes root in officialdom

Austerity rules are creating a "new normal" in China's officialdom, turning some political attention from ceremony and bureaucracy to solid work. Two years on, it has been proved the austerity drive is not just "a gust of wind", as some believed. Instead, as a long-term task, it has begun to be institutionalized by being written into Communist Party of China's rules.

Dec 4 was the second anniversary of the issuance of the "eight-point" anti-bureaucracy and formalism rules. The campaign started in 2012 to reduce pomp, ceremony, bureaucratism and undesirable working styles.

By the end of September, more than 80,000 officials had been disciplined for dereliction of duty, indiscreet use of public vehicles, misuse of public funds for personal purposes, laziness, accepting gifts and a myriad of other offenses. More progress can be achieved only after an institutionalized mechanism is established. So far, rules on receptions, conferences and travel have been included in the Party discipline. The "eight-point" rules are purifying the country's politics.