Balancing Development and Security in the Context of Containment and Pressure by the United States

The United States is launching an all-out crackdown against China in the name of competition,which has posed increasingly severe challenges to development and security in China.The strategic competition between China and the United States is becoming an essential part of once-in-a-century changes that is shaping the world today.Under such circumstances,the Communist Party of China applies a holistic approach to national security,which aims to balance development and security as well as opening up and security.Furthermore,it intends to implement the national rejuvenation strategy within the wider context of once-ina-century global changes.Managing China’s affairs well to achieve a dynamic balance and positive interaction among high-quality development,high-level security,and high-standard opening-up can provide the basis for realizing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and response to containment by the United States.While fostering a new development paradigm,China advances scientific and technological innovation and pursues common prosperity.Moreover,it defends national security through firm but flexible struggles and promotes safe development by accelerating domestic circulation.However,China needs to control the costs of its security investment,pay equal attention to the risks and gains brought about by its opening-up policy,and,thus,enhance its capability to compete with the United States in the long term.

Ensuring Both Development and Security: Evolutionary Logic and Contemporary Values

China has always placed great importance on the relationship between development and security. Since the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949, China has been modifying its approach to security and development to keep pace with domestic and international changes. It has gone through three periods in terms of its approach to development and security—prioritizing security before the launch of the reform and opening-up policy in 1978, prioritizing development between 1978 and the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China(CPC), and gradually enhancing both these two imperatives after the 18th CPC National Congress. Currently, with the once-in-a-century global changes and the increase in traditional and non-traditional security threats, China is confronted with unprecedented external challenges. However, its capability to preserve national security still needs improvement. Based on a clear understanding of the situation, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has proposed a holistic approach to national security, highlighting “ensuring both development and security” as a guideline for China’s socio-economic development and a major principle underlying the CPC’s governance. Thus, it provides guidance, both in theory and in practice, for pursuing the path of national security with Chinese characteristics.