China's State Council has ordered all central organs to use
"economic, energy-saving, environment-friendly and domestic-brand"
automobiles, and ban use official cars for private ends.
"All units should tighten the regulations of cars, cut down the
size of the fleet within a controlled scale. The number of
automobiles should not be increased unless a new department is
formed," says a circular issued recently by the Government Office
Administration of the State Council.
It orders all departments to remove cars either redundant or not
up to the required emission standard before the end of the
year.
The circular asks all government officials to "strictly abide
by" the regulation on official use of cars, and "be the first" to
use domestic-brand, low-emission, economic and manual-transmission
cars.
"Except for special needs, all units, in principle, should not
use off-road vehicles," it says, adding all departments are
prohibited to buy cars themselves without sanction of superior
authorities.
High-emission and heavy-pollution cars should be replaced before
June 2008, the circular orders.
Government departments are also told to "boost car use
efficiency, try to reduce the number of usage, better use public
transport means outside Beijing, and stop to use official vehicles
during festival time or when a large national event is held",
according to the circular.
Official cars are forbidden to be used in private businesses or
leased for commercial purposes to gain profit, the circular warns,
adding borrowing or occupying cars of lower-level departments or
other organs by virtue of of one's duty, or accepting cars donation
from private enterprises, are strictly banned.
The circular asks all departments to standardize driving rules
to enhance the saving of gasoline and try to reduce about 20
percent gas by the end of next year.
(Xinhua News Agency November 24, 2007)
