Across China: Scan, eat, track -- a digital fix for unregulated official dining

BEIJING, June 6 (Xinhua) -- On a sweltering summer morning in Ziyang, Sichuan Province, a group of local officials wrapped up their first round of inspections and headed straight to a government canteen. With a quick QR code scan and a tap to pay, they received their standardized working lunch.

"We booked our meals through the app before heading out," said Wei Hua, a municipal official. "It saves time, avoids unnecessary hassle, and lets us stay focused on the job."

The app serves a purpose beyond simple meal ordering: it is specifically tailored for people in public office. It requires users to pay for their own meals during work trips, preventing the misuse of travel meal stipends or offloading food costs onto local hosts.

"Our research found that official reception costs made up a significant share of government spending on travel, vehicles, and hospitality, placing a heavy burden on local budgets," said an official with the provincial disciplinary authorities.

"Misconduct such as lavish dining at public expense still exists in some townships of Sichuan and frequently tops the list of violations uncovered in investigations into undesirable work styles," the official said, according to media run by China's discipline inspection and supervision authorities.

The digital fix for unregulated official dining has quickly gained popularity and is being piloted in provinces like Sichuan, Jiangxi and Zhejiang, seen as a practical step toward greater transparency and reduced extravagance in public spending.

This effort is part of a broader campaign that traces back to the Communist Party of China's landmark eight-point rules introduced in late 2012 to rectify pointless formalities, bureaucratism, hedonism, and extravagance -- beginning with seemingly trivial matters such as dining and the use of government vehicles.

With the eight-point rules firmly in place, illicit wining and dining has been largely curbed across the country. However, some officials continue to flout the rules or seek to dodge them with new forms of practices.

As part of its ongoing push for greater discipline and austerity, China moved to tighten the rules further.

Last month, authorities revised the regulations on practicing thrift and opposing waste to ban serving alcohol, luxury dishes, and cigarettes at official meals. Even ornamental plants at official meetings and flashy vehicle upgrades have been added to the growing ban list.

The impact of the eight-point rules is increasingly reflected in official budgets.

China's central government has trimmed its 2025 budget for official receptions, vehicles, and overseas travel expenses to 6.124 billion yuan (about 852.4 million U.S. dollars), a 5 percent drop from the previous year.

Reception spending alone is capped at 302 million yuan, 13 million less than in 2024.

The austerity push is rippling through society at large. Frugality has begun to replace excess as a social value. Restaurants are downsizing portions, and it has become common for diners to take leftovers home.

As some media have observed, a small shift in how officials dine is prompting a meaningful change in official conduct, one that could foster a wider culture of transparency and discipline throughout society. Enditem