Almost all of us who hate corruption, and all of those who indulge in it, know there is a department called the National Bureau of Corruption Prevention (NBCP).

A few of you may also be aware of an inter-ministry joint conference mechanism, which specializes in curbing officials' overseas tours.

If you've been in China long enough, you don't need to be told that whenever things go out of control, the authorities set up a special office to deal with the problem.

This is the first time we came to notice such an establishment, dedicated to checking officials' overseas tours. But it did not surprise us.

We all know there's something fishy when we hear a bunch of Chinese officials flying off abroad on "study tours".

Even though their goals seem too good to be true, some of the sightseeing trips, which we the taxpayers financed, could have been avoided.

NBCP sources say a 20-percent cut in expenditures on overseas trips will not affect the country's normal diplomatic activities. In the second half of 2008, amid a nationwide campaign against overseas sightseeing trips on public budgets, the number of people who went abroad on service passports was down 18.4 per cent from the same period in 2007.

We are not against our officials comparing notes with their overseas counterparts. There is just too much to learn from developed nations. At least we hope someday they can learn a thing or two about what public service truly stands for, and how taxpayers should be treated.

But, honestly, most of that knowledge can be acquired right here in China. Even if a trip is a must, it need not be too long, expensive, with sightseeing on the itinerary.

The truth is, more often than not, work is a sheer cover for sightseeing. Some institutions and travel agencies simply live on organizing such tours for officials.

They can provide everything from fake invitations, itineraries to receipts to get approval and public money fraudulently. The rather tolerant public would not have been so angry had the frauds not been a reality.

The Communist Party of China's disciplinary apparatus, along with the NBCP, has issued a number of appeals and orders to rein in the corrupt practice. An August 2008 document vowed to tackle the evil practice "from its very source".

The idea is to apply budgetary constraints, which sounds perfect. The moneyed globetrotters, who are used to freebies, won't fly abroad without public money in hand.

Yet, the project does not seem to get rid of the same old pitfall of letting government institutions supervise themselves.

The rampant spread of fraudulent and wasteful overseas trips has already made it clear that self-discipline won't come too easy. It is a pity the show of resolve has fallen once again a step short of bringing government account books into the sun.

Only if the public knows how the government utilizes taxes and has a say in the way they should be used will officials behave themselves.

All over the world, that is a cure for corruption in government offices.

How about we give it a try?

(China Daily May 9, 2009)