China urges local officials to help resolve grievances of 'petitioners'

A petitioner shouts slogans during a gathering of parents who lost their only child outside the National Health and Family Planning Commission of China, in Beijing, China, April 18, 2016. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday issued instructions to better resolve the grievances of the country's petitioners, urging officials to fix disputes locally before they evolve into bigger problems.

Tens of thousands of "mass incidents" - the usual euphemism for protests - occur each year in China, triggered by corruption, pollution, illegal land grabs and other grievances.