The spouse, children and relatives of a person appointed to the leading official post in a government or Party unit cannot be subordinate officials, accountants, auditors or human resources cadres in that unit during the official's tenure.

The ban appears in a regulation issued Sunday by the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Another important CPC regulation dealt with tenure of office and a third with job mobility.

The three regulations apply to officials of the CPC Central Committee, the National People's Congress, the State Council, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate, as well as local leading officials of Party units, government departments, people's congresses and political consultative conferences, courts and prosecuting organs at and above county level.

The new regulation said officials must not work in a government office that controls or supervises any industry or enterprise in which their family members hold shares.

The regulation also stipulated that officials cannot take on the leading post in the CPC committee, government, court and prosecuting organs of the county and prefecture in which they are born and grow up.

If officials fail to implement the regulation, they will be criticized or given disciplinary punishment.

The regulation on tenure of office said officials should hold their posts for a term of five years to ensure stable and consistent implementation of policy.

Officials must complete their five-year term unless they reach retirement age, are in poor health, fail to perform their duties and need to be transferred, or are demoted or dismissed for wrongdoing, said the regulation.

When the five-year term is up, officials will be given an overall performance assessment of their work, and the result will be an important factor in future promotion, said the regulation.

After working in the same post for two consecutive five-year terms, officials will no longer be recommended or appointed to the post, said the regulation.

(Xinhua News Agency August 7, 2006)