Prez Xi tells herdsmen from Arunachal border to guard Chinese soil

President Xi Jinping has told herdsmen from a Tibetan settlement bordering Arunachal Pradesh to ‘set down roots’ to safeguard ‘Chinese territory’ and focus on developing their hometown.

“Without peace in the territory, there will be no peaceful lives for the millions of families,” Mr Xi, who began his second term in office after the once-in-five-years Congress of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) this week endorsed his second tenure, wrote to a herding family in Lhunze County in Tibet, official media reported on Sunday.

Mr Xi told the herding family from Lhunze County, near the Himalayas in southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, to set down roots in the border area, safeguard ‘Chinese territory’ and develop their hometown.

India asserts that the Sino-Indian border dispute covers the 4,057-km Line of Actual Control, while China claims it is confined to about 2,000 kms to the area of Arunachal Pradesh, which it refers to as Southern Tibet.

The family is based in Yumai, China’s smallest town in terms of population at the southern foot of the Himalayas, where steep slopes and rugged paths make it difficult to live, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Mr Xi acknowledged the family’s efforts to ‘safeguard the territory, and thanked them for the loyalty and contributions they have made in the border area,” the report said.

Mr Xi, who also heads the Central Military Commission — the overall high command of the Chinese military, made the remarks in a reply delivered to the Tibetan herders on Saturday, after they wrote to him introducing their township, the Xinhua report said.

The Chinese President hoped that the family would motivate more herders to set down roots in the border area “like galsang flowers,” and become guardians of Chinese territory and builders of a happy hometown. Mr Xi told the family that the party would continue to lead people of all ethnic groups, the report said.

Two girls — Zhoigar and Yangzom — from the Tibetan family wrote the letter to Mr Xi while the Congress was in session in Beijing, telling him their experiences in safeguarding the border area and the development of their township over the years. Beijing, Oct. 29: China aims to pass a national supervision law and set up a new commission next year to oversee an expansion of President Xi Jinping’s campaign to fight corruption in the ruling Communist Party and government, the party said on Sunday.

The moves will be made during the country’s annual meeting of parliament early next year, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), the party’s antigraft watchdog, said in its report to a five-yearly party congress last week.

The report, issued by the official Xinhua news agency, had not been previously released, and gave few other details on the commission.

“All provinces, regions and cities must closely connect regional practices, integrate reform pilot scheme experience, implement the overall plan according to the decision of the party’s Central Committee, and promote organisational integration,” the report said.

The new National Supervision Commission will take over from the CCDI and merge multiple anti-graft units, according to an announcement last year.

It will also expand the purview of Mr Xi’s antigraft campaign to include employees at state-backed institutions who are not necessarily party members.

Since coming to power in 2012, Mr Xi’s signature anti-corruption drive has jailed punished nearly 1.4 million party members and he has emphasised the importance of improving China’s rule of law architecture. In his congress address, Mr Xi said China would keep up with the “irreversible” momentum of the anti-corruption campaign.