Beijing cuts down on 'three public expenses'

Beijing government spent less on vehicles, receptions and overseas trips in 2013, according to the city's financing authority on Wednesday.

Total spending on the three categories of expenditures was 94.4 million yuan ($15.1 million) for 2013, down 15.2 percent down from the budget allocation released at the beginning of 2013, according to a report by the Beijing finance bureau on Wednesday, China News Service reported.

The report said expenses on receptions (57.27 million yuan) were cut by more than 39 percent from the budget in 2013, the largest reduction in recent years.

Expenditures on overseas trips was reduced to 130 million yuan in 2013, roughly 25 percent lower than the budget allocation.

Han Jie, the finance bureau spokesman, said the reductions were a result of the city government's strict examinations and approvals of overseas trips and the tough limitations on the number of members and days allowed for overseas trips.

The municipal government spent 757 million yuan on vehicles, 10.6 percent lower than the budget allocation.

In 2014, another 10 municipal government departments will release their finance budgets and final accounts. Spending on government vehicles, receptions and overseas trips, known as the "three public expenses", has raised concerns in recent years because of the vast amounts of money spent by the government in these categories.