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Yang Huanning’s Talk at the National Video Teleconference on Political and Legislative Affairs

[Editor’s note: The National Video Teleconference on Political and Legislative Affairs was held on December 18, 2009, at 3:00 p.m. The attendees included key party leaders and government officials from the central, provincial, prefectural, and county levels. Meng Jianzhu, the Minister of Public Security (MPS), hosted the three-hour long meeting. Those who spoke at the meeting include Zhou Yongkang, member of the Standing Committee Politburo, head of the Committee on Political and Legislative Affairs of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCCCP) and the Committee for Comprehensive Management of Public Security, and leader of the Steering Group on Stability Preservation Work; Wang Shengjun, President of the Supreme Court; Cao Jianming, Procurator-General of the Supreme Procuratorate; Yang Huanning, Executive Vice Minister of Public Security; and Wu Aiying, Minister of Justice. The following is a translation of the key points of his talk.] [1]

MPS: Anticipate and Prevent the Enemy’s Actions in China and Overseas; Prevail by Using Preemptive Strikes

The Executive Vice Minister of MPS: Yang Huanning

December 18, 2009

Since the year 2009, we have faced the new situation of China’s economy being deeply impacted by the international financial crisis, and the heavy task of maintaining social stability. We have also faced the new challenge of the complicated situation of struggling against our enemies, and new social security problems. Under the strong leadership of the CCCCP, the State Council, and various levels of local party committees and governments, the nation’s public security authorities have firmly adhered to the requirement of "maintaining growth, maintaining people’s livelihood, and maintaining stability," and focused our work around the main goal of the security tasks for the 60th anniversary of establishing the PRC. With overall coordination and planning, we have put our best effort into strictly guarding against and cracking down on the hostile forces’ sabotage activities both inside and outside of China. We have properly and quickly taken care of major massive unrest triggered by social conflict. We have focused on maintaining the social stability of Urumqi City, of the whole Xinjiang area, of Tibet, and of other Tibetan areas. We have carried out anti-crime, explosives, and gun control public security operations. We have covered more areas carrying out activities of the "Great Visit" [2] and we have comprehensively strengthened and improved social management and services. With all these, we have effectively and persistently safeguarded the country’s overall social stability, and have made new contributions in promoting steady and rapid economic growth and ensuring that people live peacefully and joyfully.

At the same time, we are clearly aware that, at present, the country is at a special historic period of socioeconomic transition and prone to frequent social conflicts. The international financial crisis is still having an effect; the world economic and political structures are undergoing profound changes; and we are still facing various foreseeable and unforeseeable risks and challenges from both inside and outside of China. The main factors that affect national security and social stability include western anti-China forces’ plots to westernize and disintegrate China, conflicts and disputes between countries, the hostile forces disruptive and sabotage activities, increasingly complex and diverse conflicts among the people, and all kinds of traditional and new public security problems. In the new year, the situation for maintaining stability won’t be easy and the pressure won’t be any less. … (We ought to) focus on the following six tasks:

First, firmly grasp the initiative in combat against the enemies.(We should) further enhance our political sensitivity and discernment; do in-depth studies to correctly understand the new changes and characteristics of the enemies; vigorously enhance intelligence work; keenly guard against and crack down on sabotage activities by domestic and foreign hostile forces, ethnic separatist forces, violent and terrorist forces, religious extremist forces, and "Falun Gong"; and strive to predict, prevent, and preempt the enemies’ actions. We should conscientiously carry out the deployment of the CCCCP; properly handle the critical relationship between current and long term issues, domestic and overseas issues, the struggle against the enemy, and conflicts among our own people; comprehensively strengthen the working mechanism and grass-roots infrastructure buildup to maintain the stability of Xinjiang and Tibet; continuously improve the ability to initiate combat, prevent attacks, and handle emergencies; and give our best effort to maintain the social stability of Xinjiang and Tibet.

Second, we must do everything possible to safeguard social stability. 1) We should thoroughly carry out the task of resolving conflicts and disputes. We should resolve problems at the roots, actively participate in the development of a social stability risk assessment system, and the "Great Mediation" [3] system, improve the early-warning mechanism of massive unrest, and focus more on accurately comprehending public opinion and timely collecting intelligence. We need to prevent the occurrence of massive social unrest at the roots. 2) We should establish and improve the mechanism for handling emergent situations. We should enhance the study of the characteristics of handling major emergent incidents and constantly improve an emergency response system that meets our needs in real situations. We should also clearly understand the command jurisdiction and procedure, and on-site processing options and requirements, so as to make sure that whenever major emergencies occur, the key leadership of the local public security authorities is able to arrive at the command position at the earliest time to coordinate available resources and take care of everything in a timely, appropriate, and efficient manner. 3) We should focus on improving on-site handling ability. … Coordinate well the handling of emergencies, taking domestic and international influences into consideration, prevail in both battlefields of the Internet and other forms of mass media, effectively strengthen the work of guiding public opinion, and properly responding to reactions both inside China and overseas. 4) Strengthen the development of support for emergent situations. Vigorously strengthen the development of special forces with a main focus on the special police unit; further enhance the abilities of the police force to provide security safeguards and emergency responses. …

Third, we should fully implement comprehensive management and control measures on public security. 1) Adhere to the “strike hard” policy to harshly crack down on all serious criminal activities. … 2) Follow the unified deployment of the Committee for the Comprehensive Management of Public Security to fix critical security issues and carry out the cleanup of places with poor public security. … 3) Focus on strengthening social security management and control measures; be determined to prevent loopholes in the areas of management and control. … 4) Build a prevention and control network based on a street-level monitoring network and actively advance a dynamic prevention and control system of public security. Promptly institutionalize societal patrols in large and medium-size cities; extend the tentacles of prevention and control to reach farther into the communities and work places, as well as residential areas inside cities, suburban areas, and the junctions of administrative regions; focus on building a dynamic and multi-dimensional prevention and control network of public security that combines manpower, equipment, and technology, and integrates both the Internet and other mass media. Strive for accomplishing the prevention and control system at the provincial, municipal, and county levels within three years, starting next year.

Fourth, we should do well in the security work for the Shanghai World Expo and the Guangzhou Asian Games. 1) Fully borrow successful experiences from the Beijing Olympics, the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the PRC, and the 11th National Games. … 2) Under the unified leadership of the CCCCP, relying closely on the local party committees and governments, widely mobilize all social forces, balance and coordinate them together, and form a security structure where the working forces includes the general Chinese people in addition to  special forces. … 3) Focus on overall prevention and control. The public security authorities in Shanghai and Guangdong should fully utilize the integrated effects of manpower, technology, and equipment; make a tight and dense social prevention and control network; strictly control hazardous materials; strictly protect key positions; strictly govern crucial hidden risks; and strictly prevent individual extreme violence, major criminal offences, and major security incidents from happening. Public security authorities in the areas surrounding Shanghai and Guangdong should keep in mind that it is a coordinated effort all over the country as on a “single chess-board,” Be actively supportive and fully cooperative, construct a solid security line of moat-like defense, have strict personal, vehicle, and goods inspections, and give your best effort to filtering out all kinds of insecure factors and blocking them from the outside. … 4) Strengthen the information and intelligence consultation system, perfect all kinds of pre-arranged work planning, improve capabilities of timely detection, proactive attacks, and preemptive strikes on enemies, resolutely prevent hostile forces and elements from creating significant damage and major incidents, resolutely prevent the occurrence of violent terrorist attacks, resolutely prevent the occurrence of major mass incidents that could impact the World Expo and the Asian Games, ensure the absolute safety of security objects and security targets, and ensure the absolute safety of the open park ceremony at the World Expo, the opening and closing ceremonies at the Asian Games, and important contests at the Asian Games. …

Fifth, further promote the “Three Basics” Project [4] and the “Three Developments.” [5] 1) Accelerate the development of information technology in public security authorities. Build a “Grand Intelligence” information system within the public security system and comprehensively promote the second stage of the “Golden Shield Project.” Strive to finish the intelligence information platform at the provincial, municipal, and county levels before the end of next year, and achieve a high degree of information sharing and a high efficiency of information linkage and applications. … 2) Vigorously strengthen the development of standardization of law enforcement procedures. … 3) Strive to build a harmonious relationship between the police and the public. … 4) Further strengthen the grass-roots development of public security work. Continue to deepen the policing strategies in residential communities and rural areas; scientifically and reasonably arrange security manpower and organize police activities; work hard to make the security offices in rural areas be the first line of defense for maintaining stability as well as the first platform for serving the people. …

Sixth, we should further strengthen and improve the public security team. 1) Thoroughly implement the policy of the party’s Fourth Plenary Session of the 17th Central Committee. … Improve the team’s overall competency and performance in all aspects as well as their capabilities for completing their duties. 2) Further enhance the efforts in education and training. For next year, focus on doing a good job in running the three training classes for directors of municipal police stations, political directors of provincial and municipal public security authorities, and leaders of provincial and municipal information departments of the public security authorities. The provincial and municipal public security authorities shall give extensive training to all grass roots level police station chiefs. … 3) Further intensify supervision and management. …

Endnotes:
[1] Heilongjiang Information Net, December 28, 2009
http://www.hljic.gov.cn/xxhsd/fzygh/t20091228_473803.htm
[2] The “Great Visit” is a project launched by the Ministry of Public Security that calls for policemen nationwide to walk into the homes of individual families to solve problems or handle social conflicts. It was initially a temporary project for the period around the Chinese New Year, from the end of 2008 to March 2009. Later the MPS advised the national police force to make it a long-term mechanism. It is believed to be a channel for the MPS to collect grass-root level information from Chinese households while strengthening social control.                                   
[3] The “Great Mediation” system is a societal mediation system that the Communist Party and the central and local administration have implemented. Private individuals, administrative agencies, and judicial organs are used to guide the mediation of social conflicts.                        
[4] The “Three Basics” Project refers to: Focusing on the basic level of police forces, improving the basic infrastructure of police work, and training every policeman in basic skills.
[5] The “Three Developments” refers to: Development of information technology in the public security system; development of standard law enforcement procedures; development of a harmonious relationship between the police and the public.