Beijing: China is apparently going to ban alcohol consumption for Communist party members and government officials. The ban likely to be imposed by the President XI Jinping could well go beyong officials’ working hours. The speculation surrounding the move led to volatility in the market with the share price of major alcohol producers such as Kweichow Moutai, Wuliangye Yibin Co. and Budweiser Brewing Co. swinging to the extremes, Bloomberg reported.Also Read – Are India-China Direct Flights Resuming Soon? Here's What We Know
The purported ban on alcohol consumption may widen its scope beyond government servants. “If a ban were to be implemented, then there’d be a risk it could be widened beyond just civil servants,” the Bloomberg report added. Also Read – China Detects New Omicron Sub-Variants With Greater Transmissibility, Reports Over 1900 Cases in 24 hrs
The move could possibly come ahead of the once-in-five-year Chinese Communist Party (CCP) where President Xi Jinping is expected to grant himself a third term. In 2017, ahead of the CCP meeting, Chinese public employees were banned from drinking alcohol as part of Xi’s anti-corruption efforts. In August last year, CCP’s anti-corruption watchdog had said that drinking could lead to crimes while banning songs at karaoke venues. Also Read – China's Xinjiang Imposes COVID Travel Restrictions; Bus, Train Services Suspended, Flight Passengers Reduced
At a local level, Henan’s Puyang and Gansu’s Qingcheng have banned alcohol consumption for civil servants during the working week- even in their private time.