Putt it out, player: China's Communist Party tells members to avoid golf, 'extravagant eating', extra-marital sex and other 'corrupt practices'

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The regulations rank golf alongside extravagant eating and improper sexual relations as violations for party cadres. Photo: Reuters

Published: 11:30am, 22 Oct 2015Updated: 7:24pm, 22 Oct 2015

China’s ruling Communist Party has listed golf and gluttony as violations for the first time as it tightens its rules to prevent officials from engaging in corrupt practices, while also turning an even sterner eye against sexual impropriety.

President Xi Jinping has launched a sweeping crackdown on deep-rooted graft since taking over the party’s leadership in late 2012 and the presidency in 2013. Dozens of senior officials have been investigated or jailed.

Tales of graft and officials’ high living, including extravagant banquets, have prompted widespread public anger because bureaucrats are meant to live on modest sums and lead morally exemplary lives.

The new rules are an update of existing regulations and are designed to better codify exactly what constitutes a violation of discipline, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

They are applicable to all 88 million party members for the first time and also include a new ethical code, Xinhua said.

"Party members must separate public and private interests, put the public’s interest first and work selflessly," the report said. Party members must also "champion simplicity and guard against extravagance".