It seems that China is planning to cleanup its act massively and the instrument it is using is the anti- corruption campaign launched three years ago by President Xi Jinping. Such is the power of its resolve that as many as 9,361 officials have been reprimanded for violating austerity rules in the just the first three months of 2016. Those punished, including four ministerial-level officials, were involved in 8,788 cases, the Communist Party of China's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said in a report posted on its website yesterday.

In March alone, 2,701 officials were reprimanded in 2,672 cases, the report said. It said about one-fourth of the cases involved illicit allowances and benefits.

Other prominent problems include unwarranted use of public vehicles as well as offering and accepting gifts and cash in violation of regulations.