The Chinese government is carrying out a nationwide investigation into the status of official motor vehicles in a bid to reform the way in which they are purchased and used.

Official vehicles will be surveyed and checked for registration as part of the campaign. Data collected during the survey will be used to lay the foundation for reforming the way official vehicles are managed, according to a statement from the central authorities.

The campaign will cover vehicles used by Communist Party of China (CPC) organizations, government-funded institutions, people's congresses, political advisory bodies, and courts and procuratorates, the statement said.

The campaign focuses on areas in which official vehicles may have been improperly purchased or operated. Vehicles that are discarded while still in good condition and the use of official vehicles for private purposes are prohibited.

The campaign is launched in response to the public's demand for information about the expenditure of official officials.

Last December, a lawyer asked the Beijing municipal government to publicize the number of official vehicles in the city, believing that a growth in the number of official cars might be partially responsible for the city's traffic woes.

On April 1, 2011, the financial department of the Beijing municipal government published statistics on its website, claiming that there were 60,206 official vehicles in the city.

The public hailed the municipal government's move, although some voiced doubts about the figure, saying the actual number could be much higher.