China’s civil servants banned from dining out in Xi’s austerity drive

Analysts say the renewed push is a sign of President Xi Jinping’s longstanding preoccupation with anti-corruption and Party discipline, suggesting previous controls were not effective.

Some Chinese civil servants have been ordered not to dine out in groups of more than three after deaths linked to excessive alcohol consumption at banquets, according to interviews and social media posts, as Beijing’s austerity push ramps up.