Thenational security of the People's Republic of China is the coordination of a variety of organizations, includinglaw enforcement,military,paramilitary,governmental, andintelligence agencies that aim to ensure country'snational security.
Until 1961, thePeople's Liberation Army focused on planning for the possibility of a United States ground incursion which leadership theorized could come through the Korean Peninsula, Taiwan, or Vietnam.[1]: 74 Chinese leadership assumed that a US incursion would also include US attempts to bomb Chinese cities with nuclear weapons.[1]: 74
Anticipating risks of US or Soviet invasions, China launched theThird Front campaign to develop industrial and military facilities in the country's interior, where it would be less vulnerable to attack.[2]: 44–49
TheSino-Soviet border clashes and the concentration of Soviet military forces near the border between the two countries meant that after 1969, Chinese leadership viewed a Soviet incursion as China's biggest security threat.[1]: 74
General Secretary of the Chinese Communist PartyXi Jinping has devoted a large amount of work towards national security, introducing theholistic security concept in 2014, which he defined as taking "the security of the people as compass, political security as its roots, economic security as its pillar, military security, cultural security, and cultural security as its protections, and that relies on the promotion of international security."[3]: 3 The holistic security concept also emphasizes the need for energy security.[4]: 77 Xi called for a holistic national security architecture that encompasses "all aspects of the work of the party and the country."[5] Xi created CCP'sNational Security Commission (NSC), which focuses on holistic security and addresses both external and internal security matters. Since its establishment, the NSC has been chaired by CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping.[6]: 180 Since its creation by Xi, the National Security Commission has established local security committees, focusing on dissent.[7]
Xi has championed theFengqiao experience, calling on officials to contain and resolve conflicts at the grassroots level without needing to involve higher legal bodies.[8] In the name of national security, Xi's government has passed numerous laws including acounterespionage law in 2014,[9]national security[10] and acounterterrorism law in 2015,[11] acybersecurity law[12] and a law restricting foreignNGOs in 2016,[13] anational intelligence law in 2017,[14] and adata security law in 2021.[15] With regard to Chinese abroad, China's 2015 National Security Law states that China will take necessary measures to protect the security and interests "of Chinese citizens, organizations, and bodies abroad."[3]: 179 Under Xi,China's mass surveillance network has dramatically grown, with comprehensive profiles being built for each citizen.[16]Grid-style social management, which involves subdividing China's counties into smaller zones, and assigning each zone to a person that reports all activity to the local government on a regular basis, has risen in prominence under Xi.[17] Public security spending has increased significantly under Xi, reaching $210 billion in 2020, more than double from the decade prior; this was accompanied by a significant decrease in crime.[18]
At the 2022 meeting ofBoao Forum for Asia, Xi proposed theGlobal Security Initiative.[3]: 158 It identifies six commitments: (1) common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security; (2) respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries; (3) abiding by the purpose and principles of theUN Charter; (4) taking the security concerns of all countries seriously; (5) peacefully resolving disputes between countries through dialogue; and (6) maintaining security in both traditional and non-traditional fields.[3]: 158 The principles outlined by the Global Security Initiative are long-standing elements of China's security policy.[3]: 158 As of 2023, articulations of the Global Security Initiative have primarily focused on broad principles and included little operational detail.[3]: 158
Per the 2015 National Security Law, national security "refers to the relative absence of international or domestic threats to the state’s power to govern, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, the welfare of the people, sustainable economic and social development and other major national interests, and the ability to ensure a continued state of security". It further specifies that the "state persists in the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party".[19]
Cultural security refers to protecting Chinese society from "cultural infiltration by hegemonic powers,Westernization and cultural decay". It is intertwined with ideological security, which involves threats such as "Western-style democracy, Western cultural hegemony, the diversified dissemination of Internet information and public opinion, and religious infiltration".Food security refers to food self-sufficiency.Human security in China refers to the security of the collective humankind.[19]
The armed forces of China are composed of thePeople's Liberation Army (PLA), thePeople's Armed Police (PAP), the reserves, and themilitia.[20] The PLA has four services: theArmy,Navy,Air Force, andRocket Force; the Rocket Force is responsible for land-based nuclear and conventional missiles.[21] The paramilitary PAP performs internal and - in wartime - rear-area security missions; it also controls theChina Coast Guard.[22]
TheChinese Communist Party (CCP)Central Military Commission (CMC) is responsible for creating PLA policy.[23] The CMC is led by theChairman, who serves as thecommander-in-chief of the PLA.[23] The commission has two to three vice chairmen, each of whom is a general in the PLA ground forces, and seven other members representing other various branches of the PLA.[23] Operational control of the PLA is administered by the CCP Central Military Commission and theMinistry of National Defense.[24] The PLA headquarters are categorized into four departments:General Staff Department,General Political Department,General Logistics Department andGeneral Armaments Department.[citation needed]
In 2005, China announced that it had downsized its military by 200,000 troops in order to optimize force structures and increase combat capabilities.[25] The number of active-duty soldiers decreased to 2.3 million from as high as 3.2 million in 1987.[26] The changes included eliminating layers in the command hierarchy, reducing non-combat units, such as schools and farms, and reprogramming officer duties. The ground forces were reduced in numbers, while the navy, air force, and rocket forces were strengthened.[27] Reservists number an estimated 500,000 to 600,000 and paramilitary forces in the PAP number an estimated 1.5 million.[28]
The Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China is differentiated from the Central Military Commission of the CCP. According to Article 93 of the state constitution, the CMC directs the armed forces of the country and is composed of a chairman, vice chairmen, and members whose terms run concurrently with theNational People's Congress. The commission is responsible to the National People's Congress and its Standing Committee.[citation needed]
China's internal security apparatus is made up of theMinistry of State Security (MSS) and theMinistry of Public Security (MPS), the PAP, the PLA, and the statejudicial,procuratorial, andpenal systems. The Ministry of Public Security oversees all domestic police activity in China, including the PAP. The ministry is responsible for police operations and prisons and has dedicated departments for internal political,economic, andcommunications security. Its lowest organizational units are public security stations, which maintain close day-to-day contact with the public. The PAP, which sustains an estimated total strength of 1.5 million personnel, is organized into 45 divisions:internal security police,border defense personnel, guards for government buildings and embassies, and police communications specialists.[citation needed]
The Ministry of State Security was established in 1983 to ensure "the security of the state through effective measures against enemy agents, spies, and counterrevolutionary activities designed to sabotage or overthrow China's socialist system." The ministry is guided by a series of laws enacted in 1993, 1994, and 1997 that replaced the "counter-revolutionary" crime statutes. The ministry's operations include intelligence collection, both domestic and foreign.[citation needed]
China has developed an efficient, well-funded internal security apparatus which is tasked with stability maintenance, or "weiwen".[30] According to a study conducted byTsinghua University, based on published police budgets, $77 billion, (514 billion yuan) was appropriated for internal security in 2009, a budget item which is rapidly increasing.[31]
TheHong Kong Special Administrative Region is considered a part of China, so it has a responsibility to protect national security of China. In Hong Kong, national security law (to fulfillHong Kong Basic Law Article 23) has not been passed yet. It was attempted in 2003 but withdrawn due to mass demonstrations. Since the major social movements in2014 and2019–20, theCentral Government of China has had concerns about national security, and has highlighted foreign forces interfering in domestic affairs. The Chinese Government has pressured Hong Kong to enact national security laws many times. Since some Hong Kong legislators refuse to pass any bills related to China, it is unlikely that a national security law will be passed in the foreseeable future. To block the national security loophole in Hong Kong, in 2020, China'sNational People's Congress passed a National Security Law for Hong Kong which bypasses Hong Kong's local legislation.[32]
AMacau national security law was passed in 2009.[citation needed]
According to statistics, this year's budget for internal security has reached 514 billion yuan. The "Law Enforcement Situation in the 2009 Budget and This Year's Draft Budget Report" show that public safety expenditures increased by 16% last year and will be augmented by a further 8.9% this year.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. Country Studies.Federal Research Division.