China punishes 11,299 officials for violating frugality rules in May

BEIJING -- A total of 11,299 Chinese officials were punished in May for violating frugality rules, said the top anti-graft body Monday.

The officials were involved in 7,778 cases, said the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission in a statement.

The punished officials include 36 at the prefecture or equivalent level and 692 at the county or equivalent level, according to the statement.

It said 6,092 were sanctioned for engaging in formalities for formalities' sake or bureaucratism practices, and 5,207 were punished for hedonism and extravagant conduct.

The CPC released its eight-point rules on frugality in late 2012 to reduce undesirable work practices.