Strategic Thinking on the Path of National Security with Chinese Characteristics

General Secretary of the Communist Party of China(CPC)Central Committee Xi Jinping has creatively put forward a holistic approach to national security and the path of national security with Chinese characteristics,which are synergistic and inseparable.Compared with other major global powers,China is embarking on a path of national security that incorporates distinctive Chinese characteristics.Unlike the United States,which seeks international expansion and hegemony while pursuing national security,China is dedicated to maintaining global security and building a community with a shared future for humanity.Unlike Russia,which prioritizes national security over everything else,China places greater emphasis on balancing development and security.Unlike Europe and Japan,which entrust their national security to other countries,China has always adhered to the principle of independence and self-reliance.An essential feature of the path of national security with Chinese characteristics is that it upholds the unity of the people’s security,political security,and the supremacy of national interests.Moreover,China will remain committed to peaceful development while defending its interests.China will continue to balance development and security imperatives,maintaining an independent foreign policy while building a community with a shared future for humanity.To make solid strides on the path of national security with Chinese characteristics,the fundamental task will be pursuing a holistic approach to national security and implementing the Ten Upholds.

Strategic Thinking on the Russia-Ukraine Crisis from the Perspective of a Holistic Approach to National Security

Xi Jinping,General Secretary of the Communist Party of China(CPC)Central Committee,has creatively put forward a holistic approach to national security,making a major breakthrough beyond the traditional national security concepts and providing the world with a new one characterized by universality and inclusivity.This thesis uses a holistic approach to national security to analyze the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis:its underlying causes,latest developments,tactics deployed,and potential implications.The outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine crisis highlights the antagonism between different national security paths of the US,Russia,and Ukraine.Moreover,the crisis has proven the correctness of the path of national security with Chinese characteristics and the importance of pursuing peaceful development.The process of the Russia-Ukraine crisis has foregrounded the necessity and scientificity of balancing development and security-that is,a higher level of national security provides a guarantee and support for high-quality development,which in turn improves its competence and efficiency.Typified by intertwined traditional and non-traditional security issues,the form of the RussiaUkraine crisis has indicated that,to safeguard national security,China must coordinate a full spectrum of security issues,be prepared for worst-case scenarios,and remain keenly alert to potential dangers.Efforts must be made to strengthen a well-coordinated,interconnected,and multi-pronged approach.The consequences of the Russia-Ukraine crisis shed light on the complexity of the international security environment wheredisorder prevails,and underscore the importance of paying equal attention to our security and that shared by the world.China must continue to encourage all other countries to pursue peaceful development,actively respond to the legitimate security concerns of the international community,and promote a new type of international security framework that features mutually beneficial cooperation under the vision of a community with a shared future for humanity.

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.