China will widen a pilot program aimed at fighting corruption to four new cities outside the financial hub of Shanghai as it seeks to reign in the business activities of government officials' spouses and children.
The rules, put in place last year, bar spouses and children of senior officials from serving as managers, registering individual businesses or holding partnerships in the areas where a family member holds office.
The program, which initially began in the financial hub of Shanghai, will now be extended to Guangdong province, Chongqing and the northwestern region of Xinjiang.
The move follows revelations in the so-called "Panama Papers" that showed several offshore shell companies linked to family members of current and former high-ranking Chinese officials, including current Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Xi has made fighting corruption a hallmark of his government since taking office three years ago, saying it threatens the very survival of the ruling Communist Party.
Dozens of top officials in the party, the government, the military and state-owned companies have been among those targeted.
