An Analysis of China's White Paper on National Security in the New Era

Nadège Rolland is Distinguished Fellow for China Studies at NBR.

Bates Gill is Senior Fellow for Asian Security at NBR.

Timestamps

[1:31] Who is the target audience of the white paper, what is the main theme, and how is it different from all the other PRC white papers on defense and security of the past?

[4:11] What are the themes related to this question of the PRC assessment of the national security environment? Is this assessment rather pessimistic or rather positive?

[7:05] Xi Jinping has mentioned choppy waters and high winds several times in the past. Is this also something that is a part of the PRC’s assessment of the security environment and has also been consistent and unchanged for the past five years?

[10:27] The document reiterates the idea that the West is the troublemaker and that China, on the contrary, is the element of stability, the island of stability into the very chaotic world. That is an interesting subtext. The document states the case that the Chinese Communist Party is well positioned and capable of meeting these challenges.

[11:43] The core of the document focuses on this concept of comprehensive national security, or sometimes translated as holistic national security concept, which integrates not just the military side, but also the political, science and technology, and resources, some of what are called the strategic new frontiers or the polar regions. What is important about this idea of amalgamating everything into this concept?

[15:01] The emphasis of this document is about political and regime security. It is preserving the survival and the dominance of the Chinese Communist Party over the country.

[15:58] The Party’s political security is also linked to the people’s security and economic stability. This is going back to the nexus between economic development and security. How does the document approach this emphasis on economic growth, the economic and social aspects of security?

[19:16] Who are the main partners China can find in this stabilization of this uncertain world? How is the Global Security Initiative (GSI) defined and described in this document?