China's government has called for a reduction in the number of international conferences and forums held in the country, apparently out of fear the proliferating meetings are squandering public funds.
Officials across the country have been asked to restrict the number of international meetings they host and stop holding events with no "substance", according to the finance and foreign ministries.
Conferences with the same or similar themes must not be held at the same time or even at short intervals, the ministries said in a joint statement issued over the weekend.
State media reports on Monday suggested the new restrictions took aim at the spiralling costs of some gatherings.
Organisers should also refrain from inviting Communist Party officials or Chinese leaders to their events, the statement added, without giving a reason for the new rules.
The clampdown appears to be aimed at restricting wasteful spending on costly conferences that often rely on local government funding.
China has seen a surge in the number of international gatherings in recent years as it seeks to flaunt its rising soft power.
According to the International Congress and Convention Association, China was the ninth-most popular country in the world to host conferences in 2009, putting it in the top 10 for the first time, with 245 international forums held that year.
http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20110214-263472.html
No comments:
Post a Comment