Officials' families, beware

All people in a society should regulate their behavior so that the society can operate in an orderly manner. This is particularly true of those officials whose posts are eyed by relatives and friends as a means to funnel economic interests their way, says an article in People's Daily.

In recent years, numerous cases of corruption involving officials and their family members or subordinates have repeatedly underscored the self-evident truth that officials must rein in the people with close ties to them and must not connive with them to capitalize on their positions for illegal gain, President Xi Jinping said at a recent plenary session of the country's top anti-graft watchdog.

Xi's remarks also mean that officials, especially those holding key positions, must erect a "high-voltage" electric fence around the power they hold in their hands, which their family members, cronies or disciples are not allowed to touch.