Want a promotion? Treat Mom well

BEIJING (Reuters) - A county in central China plans in-depth checks on how its officials' treat their parents, with those who are nice to their mom and dad first in line for promotion, Xinhua news agency reported Saturday.

Up to 500 family members, friends, colleagues and neighbors will be grilled by special investigators about the behavior of each official from Changyuan county, including their family values and any drinking or gambling habits, the report said.

The findings will be considered when deciding promotions.

"Officials should possess traditional Chinese values of filial piety and family responsibility, which are the foundation of a successful career," Xinhua quoted local Communist Party chief Liu Sen saying.

China's leaders are fretting about how to support its aging population, and worried about slipping moral standards as younger generations rush to take advantage of the booming national economy.

By 2050, the number of those over 60 in China is expected to top 400 million.