Tibet Armed Police commissar’s political status upgraded

China's Central Military Commission upgraded the political status of the political commissar of the Armed Police Corps of the Tibet Autonomous Region, indicating the central government's determination to safeguard regional stability, experts said.

Major General Tang Xiao, the political commissar of the Tibet Armed Police Corps, part of the Chinese People's Armed Police, now enjoys the "treatment" of a head of a corps-sized military body, which is equal to that of officials at a provincial or ministerial level. However, it has not been announced that the Corps, which is not a corps-sized military body, will be expanded to a full corps size.

Under the dual leadership of the State Council and the Central Military Commission, the Chinese People's Armed Police is composed of internal security forces and various police forces, including border security, firefighting and security guard units.

The decision was announced by Niu Zhizhong, Chief of Staff of the Armed Police at a conference on October 3, reported the Tibet Daily on Monday.

"Better 'treatment' for the head of Armed Police in Tibet is a major decision made by Central Military Commission based on the special environment and strategic position of the Tibet Armed Police," said Niu, adding that the decision, which is aimed at better safeguarding regional stability, also shows their encouragement to the soldiers of the Armed Police in Tibet.

It is not unusual that heads of certain military bodies, which are usually located in strategically important areas or suffer from harsh living conditions, are given certain benefits through their "treatment" being improved. The military body's significance can be reflected through such improvement, said Song Zhongping, a Beijing-based military expert.

"The adjustment is also a reward which tries to guarantee people's willingness to work in the region. Specifically, Tang can be transferred to a higher position than his counterparts from other provinces," Song told the Global Times.

The commander and political commissar of the People's Liberation Army in Tibet also enjoy better "treatment" than they would necessarily receive, given their rank.