Next stage in graft fight

The successive moves to fight corruption and extravagance are credible signs that Chinese leaders want substantial changes in officialdom.

The initiative to "standardize" leading officials' use of public housing and vehicles is the latest follow-up to the eight rules Party leader Xi Jinping and his colleagues put forward during their first days in office.

Their call for style changes and prohibiting waste and extravagance has resulted in a de facto decline in the "high end" catering industry. In spite of reports about officials shifting into "stealth mode", many luxury eateries, which relied heavily on expensive banquets financed by public money, are now having to woo ordinary diners to survive.