China's Xi says officials should prevent abuse of power

BEIJING Senior officials need to “build a fence” to ensure neither they nor those around them abuse power, and must practice greater self-discipline, state media cited President Xi Jinping as saying as he drives home his anti-corruption message.

Since assuming office four years ago, Xi has waged war on deep-seated graft, warning like others before him that the problem is so bad it could affect the party’s grip on power.

Dozens of senior people have been jailed for corruption and abusing their top positions, including China’s once powerful domestic security chief Zhou Yongkang.

Speaking at a workshop on fighting graft, Xi said leading officials must practice strict self-discipline and “eliminate special privileges”, state news agency Xinhua said late on Monday.

Senior officials should “build a fence against special privileges to prevent themselves and those around them from abusing power” and use their power impartially, cautiously and legally, the report cited Xi as saying.

Close relatives, especially wives and children, have been implicated in many recent corruption scandals.

The workshop was focused on last October’s Communist Party plenum, which strengthened rules to prevent corruption and also anointed Xi as “core” leader of the party.

China does not have an independent anti-corruption body and insists the party and the government can police themselves, something some experts and Chinese activists say is not possible if the country really wants to tackle graft.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Michael Perry)