Chinese Ministry of Finance announced Friday it will tighten budget spending for overseas tours in hopes of curbing the rapid increase in the overall travel spending.

With the approval of the Chinese Government, a zero increase will be introduced this year for overseas tours of Chinese Communist Party cadres and government officials, the ministry said in a press release.

The ministry said the spending on foreign tours has resulted in a significant growth in the use of foreign exchange funds.

All localities and government departments are ordered to improve their supervision on the use of foreign exchange funds and curb the number of groups traveling abroad, according to the document.

Overseas sight-seeing under the cover of training and official exchanges is banned and non-essential training should be reduced, the document said.

(Xinhua News Agency March 26, 2005)