Chinese officials are rushing to pull out of executive MBAs after Xi Jinping’s government banned them from accepting scholarships as part of a widening anti-corruption campaign.

The government has barred “l(fā)eading cadres” within the Communist party, the government and state-owned enterprises from signing up for costly business training unless they have official approval and pay full fees themselves. Those already on such programmes must quit immediately.

The fight against graft has become Mr Xi’s signature policy since coming to power in late 2012. The latest move arises from concerns that executive management training such as part-time MBAs are hotbeds for networking, as they are globally. In China the fear is that these guanxi, or connections, are prone to corruption, bribery and rent-seeking.