EY staff urged to wear Communist badges in China

STAFF at the Beijing branch of accounting group EY have been urged to brandish their loyalty to the Communist party by wearing badges at work.

EY China’s party committee has sent an email to Communist party members working at the accountancy firm telling them to start wearing the pin-ons, which feature the red flag of the Chinese Community Party above a gold emblem bearing the words “serve the people”.

The demand from the company’s party committee was sent out last week, according to the Financial Times.

It comes ahead of China’s annual parliamentary meetings, at which the legislature is expected to approve a precedent-breaking third term for president Xi Jinping.

According to the Financial Times, only EY China staff members in Beijing appeared to have been sent the instruction to wear a badge.

“The badge should be placed in the middle of the left chest and cannot be worn on the collar,” an email from the company’s party committee said.

“When worn with other badges, it should be placed above them.”