China's anti-waste campaign targets meetings

China's central government departments have been required to cut spending on meetings under the country's anti-waste campaign.

Meeting sizes should be strictly controlled and conference days should not be prolonged unnecessarily, according to the measures on conference fees management regarding central government departments, posted on the website of the Ministry of Finance.

If the participants are mainly from Beijing, the conference venue should not be set outside of the capital, according to the measures. Meetings should not be held at scenic sites, which are banned by the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council.

Conference forms should be improved to draw on modern information technology like video-phone conferences or Internet video conferences to cut costs and improve efficiency, according to the measures.

The anti-waste campaign has swept from dinner tables to expensive galas in less than one year.

China's central government spent 7.43 billion yuan (1.21 billion U.S. dollars) on receptions, vehicles and overseas trips in 2012, down 20 percent from the previous year, or 559 million yuan less than the budgeted figure, said a State Council report on the central government's final accounts for 2012 issued in June.