Guangdong requires officials disclose assets

GUANGZHOU - More officials in South China's Guangdong province have been required to disclose their financial status as part of trials of a scheme combating corruption.

Shixing County's government will ask its 526 officials, including bureau chiefs and county heads, to declare their family assets after the Spring Festival, said Zheng Zhentao, Party chief of Shaoguan city, which administers Shixing, at the first session of the 12th Guangdong Provincial People's Congress.

Assets the officials will be required to declare include salaries, bonuses and subsidies, labor income, real estate holdings, cars and investments, according to Zheng, also a deputy to the provincial legislative body.

Zheng said the financial status of these officials will be available for inquiry on the government's intranet after the Spring Festival, which falls on Feb 10.

"We will make their financial assets known to the public in an appropriate way in the future under the guidance of the provincial discipline authorities," the Party chief said.

He added that the government will push forward public disclosure of officials' financial assets, by drawing experiences from the scheme.

Shixing is one of three regions in the province to pilot the scheme amid increasing public calls for officials to disclose their assets so as to fight against corruption.

The Nansha New District of Guangzhou, provincial capital of Guangdong, and the Hengqin New District of Zhuhai City, have also put in place similar initiatives.