Fine wines no excuse for grand party

ON MONDAY, the wine imports department of the China National Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs Corp, China's largest State-run oil and food importer, reportedly spent at least 200,000 yuan ($32,010) convening a wine-tasting party at a luxury hotel in Southwest China's Yunnan province. Comments:

To some COFCO employees, the so-called business party was just paid leave during which they could also enjoy first-class wines. The reason why the expenditure on wine was "not very high", as their department's manager clarified, might be because they were purchased at cost price rather than retail price. However the party organizers must have paid for them at public expense, and almost certainly will incur mounting censure from the public.

Zhu Xu, a guest commentator with China National Radio, Feb 10