China cuts overseas travel for 4,000 government officials

China says it nixed overseas travel for 4,000 government officials in the second half of last year to cut expenses and that it will crack down on those who fake invitation letters so they can travel.

Overseas travel is a big perk for Chinese officials, including some trips that have had nothing to do with official business. In November, government officials in southeastern Zhejiang province were punished for spending $94,000 in taxpayer money on lavish vacations to Hawaii, Las Vegas and San Francisco, intended to be used for business purposes.

The official Xinhua News Agency reported Tuesday that about 830,000 officials traveled abroad on public expense from June to November, down 18.9 per cent year-on-year.

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