Poorly behaved officials subject to recall

More than 1,600 officials in Guizhou province have been recalled for malfeasance - most of them temporarily - setting a precedent for the management of government officials across the country.

The recall mechanism, mainly designed to root out incompetence, rolled out late last year in Guizhou's Qianxinan autonomous prefecture. It was the first of its kind and was designated a key pilot project by the Organization Department of the Central Committee of the CPC.

Personnel authorities in the prefecture listed 30 performance standards, the violation of which can result in a recall. The standards set forth the dos and don'ts for officials' daily work, including a prohibition on video games, watching entertainment shows online and trading stocks during working hours.