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China's National Audit Office (NAO) on Tuesday reported management loopholes and malpractice concerning receptions, vehicles and overseas trips.
The audit report on implementation of the central budget was submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the country's top legislature, at its ongoing bi-monthly session.
After auditing 38 central government departments and 389 institutions attached to them, the NAO found that management of expenses for receptions, vehicles and trips was not strict enough, though the expenses dropped about 22.93 percent in 2013 from the previous year.
The NAO report said about 149 visiting groups sent by seven departments and nine subsidiary institutions to foreign countries changed their approved itineraries and extended their stay abroad.
The NAO named several departments in its report. For instance, a group of officials with the China Geological Survey spent three days in Las Vegas during its trip to North America in January 2013 and reported that they were working in Canada.
Also, 14 departments and 56 subsidiary institutions spent 32.98 million yuan on overseas trips that was not budgeted or in line with protocols.
The NAO uncovered 289 public vehicles that should have not been bought and 132 ones that surpassed the standards of public vehicles, according to the report.
About 10.94 million yuan was spent against the rules on purchasing and maintaining public vehicles.
Auditors found the spending of 2.67 million yuan on receptions was not in line with rules. That spending involved four departments and six subsidiary institutions including the People's Bank of China.
The NAO also found 13.56 million yuan was wrongfully spent on hosting meetings and a number of departments had other parties sponsor their meetings.
Receptions, public vehicles and overseas trips are the perennial subject of public concern about excess and unregulated spending. These three areas have also been the target of a nationwide campaign against extravagance since late 2012.
According to a State Council report on central government final accounts for 2013, also reviewed by lawmakers Tuesday, the central government spent 7.02 billion yuan (1.14 billion US dollars) on receptions, public vehicles and overseas trips, 954 million less than the budgeted figure, and 410 million yuan less than the figure for 2012.
Lou Jiwei, minister of finance, told lawmakers that fewer overseas trips alongside stricter management of public vehicles and receptions led to the reduction.
The central government spent 1.66 billion yuan on overseas trips in 2013, still 473 million yuan less than the budgeted figure.
Expenses on public vehicles stood at 4.2 billion, 199 million yuan less than the sum budgeted, while the figure for receptions was 1.15 billion yuan, 282 million yuan less than budgeted.
