China orders officials not to sightsee abroad on public money

BEIJING, March 2 -- Don't spend public money to pay for personal travel disguised as business trips. The General Office of the State Council and the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee reminded all public officials in a circular issued Sunday.It said all travel must be approved ahead of time, be budgeted for and officials should not claim reimbursement for personal expenses.

The document urged discipline inspection departments at all levels to tighten supervision and auditing over funds used for overseas business trips and expose and punish violators severely.

The reminder came after Xinhua reported that two officials were removed from their posts in east China's Jiangxi Province after doing overseas sightseeing disguised as study tours in 2008.Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Beijing.