Li Pengfei and Wu Haijun: Strengthening Security Through Development and Seeking Development Amidst Security
Since the 18th Party Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has attached great importance to development and security, repeatedly emphasizing the need to "coordinate development and security." The "Proposals of the CPC Central Committee for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development" (hereafter the "Proposals"), adopted at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, identified "adhering to the coordination of development and security" as a fundamental principle that must be followed for economic and social development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. It explicitly called for "consolidating security through development and seeking development through security." The Central Economic Work Conference held in December 2025 further emphasized "better coordinating development and security." Coordinating development and security is both a profound summation of the experience of governance in the New Era and an intrinsic requirement for successfully embarking on the new journey of Chinese-path modernization. Deeply grasping its theoretical origins, practical foundation, and future orientation is of great significance for achieving a benign interaction between high-quality development and high-level security.
Profoundly Grasping the Theoretical Connotations of Coordinating Development and Security
Coordinating development and security is a vital component of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, representing a creative integration and systematic development of the Marxist views on development and security in the New Era. This not only transcends the binary opposition found in traditional development and security theories but also constructs a theoretical system for national security and development characterized by Chinese features and a Chinese style [1]. It reflects the creative application of Marxist dialectical materialism and demonstrates the CPC's profound grasp of the laws of governance.
From the perspective of theoretical evolution, the concept of coordinating development and security is rooted in the Overall National Security Outlook and has been continuously enriched in practice, increasingly highlighting the dialectical unification between development and security. National security is the vital cornerstone for maintaining national stability; safeguarding national security is where the fundamental interests of the people of all ethnic groups lie.
In April 2014, at the first meeting of the Central National Security Commission, General Secretary Xi Jinping creatively proposed the Overall National Security Outlook and issued clear requirements for its implementation, emphasizing that "development is the foundation of security, and security is the condition for development." In November of the same year, at the Central Conference on Work Relating to Foreign Affairs, General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed coordinating the two major tasks of development and security. Subsequently, on several important occasions, General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly elucidated the dialectical relationship between development and security, emphasizing their coordination. In October 2017, the 19th Party Congress established the coordination of development and security as a "major principle of the Party’s governance." In October 2020, the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee incorporated the coordination of development and security into the guiding ideology for China's economic and social development during the 14th Five-Year Plan period. In October 2022, the 20th Party Congress identified it as a major strategic deployment for the development of the Party and the state's undertakings in the New Era and wrote it into the Constitution of the Communist Party of China (Amendment). The Central Economic Work Conference held in December 2023 explicitly identified "adhering to the benign interaction between high-quality development and high-level security" as a regular understanding for performing economic work well in the New Era. In March 2025, while presiding over the 19th collective study session of the Political Bureau of the 20th CPC Central Committee, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized the need to "further establish the concept that development is the hard truth [2] and security is also the hard truth." In October 2025, the "Proposals" further put forward "consolidating security through development and seeking development through security," marking a leap in the understanding of the relationship between development and security from static interdependence to dynamic mutual promotion, thereby constructing a systematic and scientific theoretical framework.
From the perspective of theoretical innovation, the concept of coordinating development and security is a major innovation in economic development theory, a systematic deepening of national security theory, and a comprehensive expansion of social governance theory, manifesting multiple theoretical values. Mainstream Western economics often views security as an institutional prerequisite or an external constraint, ignoring its essential attribute of being endogenous to the development process.
The concept of "consolidating security through development and seeking development through security" treats security as an inherent component and core objective of development, forming an endogenous theory of secure development. It emphasizes that national resilience, systemic stability, and risk controllability are inherent requirements for high-quality development. Through the paradigmatic innovation of economic development theory, it provides scientific theoretical guidance for ultra-large-scale countries to achieve sustainable development within a complex international environment. Particularly against the backdrop of the deep restructuring of global industrial and supply chains and the rise of techno-nationalism, this concept provides Chinese wisdom on how late-developing countries can maintain autonomy through opening-up and fortify the bottom line of security during development.
The idea of coordinating development and security elevates security from traditional "defensive security" to "developmental security," emphasizing that security is not an obstacle to development but its guarantee and driving force. National security theory has thus achieved an essential leap from "security as a constraint" to "security as empowerment." The concept of coordinating development and security introduces a dynamic and systemic view of risk governance, expanding social governance theory across multiple dimensions. This idea deeply integrates security into the entire process of social governance, transitioning social governance from passive response to proactive risk prevention and resolution, thus enriching the content of social governance objectives. It extends social governance from traditional social order to emerging fields such as data security and privacy protection, reflecting the horizontal expansion of social governance. By emphasizing the vital supporting role of security for development, it stimulates the enthusiasm of market entities and social organizations to participate in security governance, promoting the transformation of social governance toward multi-party co-governance.
From a methodological perspective, the concept of coordinating development and security maintains the integrity of systemic thinking, emphasizes the dialectical nature of practical orientation, and highlights the dynamic nature of contradiction analysis. It is a brilliant example of adhering to and applying dialectical materialism and historical materialism. This concept treats development and security as an organic whole, opposing the separation or opposition of the two. General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized that "security and development are the two wings of a bird and the two wheels of a vehicle" and that "security is the prerequisite for development, and development is the guarantee for security; security and development must advance in sync." The unity of opposites—where development and security are interdependent and mutually transforming—requires us to step away from the one-sided thinking of "prioritizing development while neglecting security" or "prioritizing security while suppressing development." We must establish a systemic concept, strengthen strategic synergy, and achieve a dynamic balance and mutual promotion between high-quality development and high-level security.
The concept of coordinating development and security focuses on resolving contradictions through practice. Given that security issues in China's development are exceptionally complex, integrating security into development and reflecting security requirements within development vividly demonstrates the practical character of this idea. This concept emphasizes the dynamic identification, analysis, and resolution of risks and hidden dangers in the practice of development to achieve a long-term unity of development and security. This governance philosophy, which combines strategic proactivity with risk defensiveness, demonstrates the high-level political wisdom of the CPC in managing complex situations and contributes a Chinese governance solution of "overall consideration and dynamic balance" to global governance.
Important Progress in China’s Coordination of Development and Security in the New Era
Since the 18th Party Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has taken the coordination of development and security as a major principle of governance, promoting their deep integration and mutual promotion. Through more than a decade of practice, China has not only achieved effective qualitative improvement and reasonable quantitative growth in its economy but has also held the bottom line of security under multiple shocks that exceeded expectations. This demonstrates the powerful practical force of "consolidating security through development and seeking development through security."
Economic strength and the capacity for technological self-reliance and self-strengthening have surged significantly, fortifying the material and technical foundation of national security. History and reality have repeatedly proven that the enhancement of national strength is the solidest foundation for safeguarding national security. Only when a country possesses strong economic, technological, and defense capabilities and comprehensive national power can it effectively resist external risks and shocks and safeguard its sovereignty, security, and development interests.
In 2024, China's GDP reached 134.9 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5.0%. This growth rate ranks among the top of the world's major economies, and China’s contribution rate to global economic growth remained at around 30%, providing the fundamental confidence to respond to external shocks. In 2024, per capita GDP reached $13,445, remaining above the $12,000 threshold for four consecutive years, forming an ultra-large market advantage and domestic demand potential, which serves as strategic depth for resisting risks. In 2024, China's manufacturing value-added accounted for nearly 30% of the global total, ranking first in the world for 15 consecutive years. It possesses 41 major industrial categories, 207 intermediate categories, and 666 sub-categories; the integrity and scale of the industrial system have become the "ballast stone" for responding to the risk of supply chain disruptions. Meanwhile, significant breakthroughs have been made in technological self-reliance and self-strengthening, resolving "chokepoint" [3] dilemmas. In 2024, total social R&D investment exceeded 3.6 trillion yuan, an increase of 48% compared to 2020. R&D intensity reached 2.68%, which is higher than the average level of EU countries. Among this, basic research funding reached 249.7 billion yuan, an increase of more than 70% compared to 2020. China has achieved a series of major original scientific research results in several frontier fields such as quantum technology, life sciences, matter sciences, and space science. Furthermore, the number of high-level international journal papers and international patent applications has ranked first in the world for five consecutive years.
The capacity to guarantee food and energy resource security has been systematically strengthened, firmly holding the bottom line for survival and development security. High-quality development is reflected not only in the improvement of economic strength and technological levels but also in the ability to guarantee the basic elements of national survival and development. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China's annual grain output consistently remained above 1.3 trillion catties [4], reaching 1.43 trillion catties in 2025. Per capita grain possession has exceeded 1,000 catties, significantly higher than the internationally recognized safety line of 800 catties, effectively ensuring basic self-sufficiency in cereals and absolute security of staple foods. As of now, the country has cumulatively built over 1 billion mu [5] of high-standard farmland. The contribution rate of agricultural scientific and technological progress reached 63.2%, the comprehensive mechanization rate of crop plowing, planting, and harvesting exceeded 75%, and the coverage rate of improved varieties remained above 96%. Not only has grain output increased, but the reserve, emergency, and regulation systems have also become more sound, and the "firewall" for responding to global food price fluctuations has been continuously reinforced. Meanwhile, the capacity to ensure energy security has significantly improved. In 2024, China's annual comprehensive energy production capacity reached 4.98 billion tons of standard coal, and the energy self-sufficiency rate remained above 80%. By the end of July 2025, the installed capacity of renewable energy reached 2.17 billion kilowatts, firmly ranking first in the world. Among this, wind power was 570 million kilowatts and solar power exceeded 1.1 billion kilowatts, doubling the figures from the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period. The proportion of non-fossil fuel installed capacity achieved a historic breakthrough of 60%. Against the background where crude oil import dependence exceeds 70%, China has effectively offset the impact of geopolitical conflicts on energy supply through multiple measures such as diversifying import channels, building strategic reserve systems, and the energy consumption revolution. The transition to clean, low-carbon energy and the guarantee of secure supply have been advanced in a coordinated manner.
Industrial and supply chain resilience and competitiveness have been significantly enhanced, effectively responding to risks of external containment. Security is the prerequisite for development; without a secure and stable environment, development is out of the question. Facing technical blockades from the US and the West and pressures from global supply chain restructuring, China has accelerated the construction of an independent, controllable, secure, and efficient modern industrial system. A "chain leader system" [6] has been implemented in key areas such as integrated circuits, industrial mother machines, and advanced materials to promote collaborative breakthroughs across upstream and downstream sectors. Domestically produced operating systems and databases have achieved large-scale application in key industries, and the industrial ecosystem for Information Technology Application Innovation (ITAI) is accelerating its maturity. In fields such as aerospace, deep-sea exploration, and high-end medical devices, the international competitiveness of a group of "long-suit" industries continues to grow, serving as strategic pivots to counter external suppression.
The construction of a New Security Pattern has been comprehensively advanced, providing a safeguard for high-quality development. Building a New Security Pattern is a strategic choice for advancing high-quality development and a solid guarantee for supporting Chinese-path modernization with high-level security. First, the national security system has undergone a systematic restructuring. The Central National Security Commission has further strengthened the Party’s centralized and unified leadership. National security coordination mechanisms in key areas such as the economy, technology, finance, data, and artificial intelligence are operating with high efficiency.
A coordinated pattern of "the whole nation as a single chessboard" [7] has essentially taken shape. Second, substantive progress has been made in defusing major risks. Financial risks are generally controllable; as of the end of 2024, China’s government debt-to-GDP ratio stood at 68.7%. According to a report released by the International Monetary Fund in April 2025, the average government debt ratio for G20 nations was 118.2%. Overall, our government debt ratio remains within a reasonable range, with risks being secure and controllable. Compared to the beginning of 2023, by the end of June 2025, the number of financing platforms [8] decreased by over 60%, and the volume of financial debt fell by over 50%. Policies for the real estate market have been optimized and adjusted, gradually releasing demand for both basic and improved housing, while the real estate market continues its stabilizing trend. Workplace safety conditions have continuously improved; in 2025, the number of workplace accidents and related fatalities nationwide fell by 9.4% and 7.7% year-on-year, respectively. The number of people affected by natural disasters and the number of dead or missing due to such disasters decreased by 28.8% and 10.9% year-on-year, while the number of major and exceptionally serious accidents was kept steady in the single digits. Third, the level of social governance and public security has been comprehensively enhanced. In 2025, the total number of criminal cases filed by public security organs nationwide decreased by 12.8% year-on-year, reaching a new low for this century. In 2024, the number of cases accepted by procuratorial organs for review and prosecution fell by 14.3% year-on-year, and registered public petitions and visits [9] decreased by 29.1%. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the "Fengqiao Experience" [10] in the New Era was upheld and developed, and a rural and urban grassroots governance system combining autonomy, the rule of law, and the rule of virtue—all under the leadership of Party organizations—has essentially been formed. In some regions, grassroots governance platforms relying on grid-based management, precision services, and information technology support have achieved positive results. The community governance system is being continuously perfected, providing strong support for the early identification and localized resolution of contradictions and disputes.
While fully affirming the historic achievements made in coordinating development and security, we must also clearly recognize that China still faces many old problems and new challenges in its development process. The impact of changes in the external environment is deepening, risks and hidden dangers in key areas remain numerous, and the risk of being "choked at the neck" [11] in key core technologies persists. Dependence on foreign sources for certain high-end chips, basic industrial software, and precision instruments and equipment remains relatively high. The resilience of industrial and supply chains needs further improvement, and problems such as homogeneity in regional layouts and insufficient emergency backup capabilities still exist in some areas. Risks and hidden dangers in fields such as finance, real estate, and local government debt are intertwined and overlapping; preventing systemic risks still requires continuous attention and steady handling. Rule systems and regulatory capabilities for emerging fields like artificial intelligence, cross-border data flows, and biosafety are not yet fully developed. This reminds us that coordinating development and security is not a once-and-for-all static balance, but a long-term strategic task requiring continuous deepening and dynamic optimization.
Practical paths for adhering to the coordination of development and security during the 15th Five-Year Plan period
During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, facing a complex international situation and the arduous tasks of domestic reform, development, and stability, we must resolutely implement the important requirements repeatedly emphasized by General Secretary Xi Jinping, such as "adhering to a systems perspective," "strengthening bottom-line thinking," and "accelerating the formation of new quality productive forces." We must persist in coordinating development and security, and accelerate the construction of a new security pattern compatible with the new development paradigm. We must be adept both at consolidating the foundations of security through development and at expanding the space for development through security barriers, providing strong support for comprehensively advancing the great cause of building a strong nation and national rejuvenation through Chinese-path modernization.
Consolidating the foundation of national security through the construction of a modernized industrial system. Modern economies are complex networks with highly specialized divisions of labor; a break in any single link can trigger systemic risks. In recent years, the stability of global industrial and supply chains has been severely impacted by factors such as geopolitical conflicts, natural disasters, and public health events. As the world’s largest manufacturing nation and trader in goods, China is deeply integrated into the global division of labor system, but remains dependent on imports for some key raw materials, core components, and high-end equipment, leaving industrial and supply chains somewhat vulnerable. Therefore, the Proposals [12] suggest placing the focus of economic development on the real economy, maintaining a reasonable proportion of manufacturing, and building a modernized industrial system with advanced manufacturing as its backbone. On one hand, we should focus on key industries central to national security and the lifeblood of the national economy—such as mining, metallurgy, chemicals, machinery, and shipbuilding—accelerating the effort to mend weak links in industrial and supply chains, increasing their level of independent controllability, strengthening the reconstruction of the industrial base and breakthroughs in major technical equipment, and promoting technological transformation and upgrading. On the other hand, we should consolidate and enhance China’s existing advantages in fields such as new energy, new materials, aerospace, and the low-altitude economy, accelerating the creation of industrial chains that are more innovative, possess higher added value, and offer stronger security and reliability. Simultaneously, we must proactively plan for future industries, focusing on quantum technology, biomanufacturing, hydrogen and nuclear fusion energy, brain-computer interfaces, embodied intelligence, and 6G communications, while advancing the development of national future industry pilot zones with high quality. We must promote synergy and linkage between the upstream and downstream of industrial chains, drive the integrated development of large, medium, and small enterprises, encourage companies to lead the formation of innovation consortia, reinforce the position of enterprises as the main subjects of innovation, and comprehensively improve the overall resilience and anti-risk capacity of industrial chains. By building an independent, controllable, secure, and efficient modernized industrial system, we provide a solid guarantee for national economic security.
Strengthening the strategic support for national security through high-level teachnological self-reliance and self-strengthening. Currently, global scientific and technological innovation has entered a period of unprecedentedly intensive activity, and a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is profoundly reshaping the global innovation landscape and economic structure. Whoever can firmly grasp the key lever of technological innovation and take the lead in making the "first move" [13] in innovation will seize the initiative and gain the upper hand in development. In recent years, the suppression and containment of China’s high-tech enterprises by the United States and other Western countries have exposed the "choke-hold" problems China still faces in some key core technology areas. This serves as a warning that key core technologies cannot be asked for, bought, or begged for; we must keep the lifeblood of science and technology firmly in our own hands. The Report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC identified "achieving high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-strengthening" as a strategic support for national development, and the Proposals further emphasize "accelerating high-level technological self-reliance to lead the development of new quality productive forces." During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, we must continue to improve the new-type whole-nation system [14], strengthen national strategic technological forces, optimize the allocation of innovation resources, and significantly enhance the overall efficiency of the national innovation system. We must strengthen the strategic, forward-looking, and systematic layout of basic research, increase long-term stable support, and strive for "from 0 to 1" original breakthroughs in more key areas. We must promote the deep integration and efficient synergy of the innovation, industrial, capital, and talent chains, and comprehensively improve the efficiency and industrialization level of transforming scientific and technological achievements into actual productive forces. Meanwhile, we should foster an institutional environment and cultural ecosystem conducive to original innovation, fully unleashing the innovative potential of all types of talent. Only in this way can we firmly hold the initiative for development in key areas such as integrated circuits, industrial mother machines, high-end instruments, basic software, advanced materials, and biomanufacturing, effectively preventing and responding to risks of technical blockades and supply chain disruptions, and fortifying the security foundation of national development.
Activating the momentum of high-quality development through the national security system. Development requires a secure environment, and security protects development. Whether we can effectively prevent and defuse major risks directly affects the results of China’s economic and social development and the process of Chinese-path modernization. The Proposals suggest "unswervingly implementing the Holistic Approach to National Security" [15] and "consolidating a centralized, unified, efficient, and authoritative national security leadership system." During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, we must focus on building a national security institutional system that is systematic, complete, scientifically regulated, and effectively operational. We must optimize coordination mechanisms for key security areas and major special projects, implement the responsibility system, and promote the efficient connection and systematic integration of all links and elements. We must improve the governance framework for foreign-related security, accelerate the layout of overseas risk prevention and control networks, forge practical capabilities to counter external containment and interference, and expand cross-border law enforcement cooperation, providing strong support for perfecting global security governance.
Enhancing development resilience by strengthening national security capacity building in key areas. The Proposals state that "building a Peaceful China [16] is an important component of Chinese-path modernization." The primary task in forging practical and useful national security capabilities is to defend political security, ensuring the security of state power, the system, and the stability of the overall social situation. At the same time, we must focus on major security areas upon which the healthy operation of the economy and the people’s ability to live and work in peace depend, thereby consolidating the foundation of national development. Specifically, we must resolutely hold the bottom line for the security of grain, energy and resources, industrial and supply chains, and major infrastructure. We must systematically strengthen the exploration, development, and reserve of strategic mineral resources, improve the level of intensive and safe utilization of water resources, ensure the smooth flow of strategic passages such as sea and land routes, and steadily promote the construction of the national strategic hinterland and the backup layout of key industries. Facing the accelerating evolution of the technological revolution, we must plan ahead and systematically build protective capabilities in emerging fields such as cyber, data, artificial intelligence, biology, ecology, nuclear, space, deep sea, polar regions, and low-altitude flight, seizing the future strategic high ground. Addressing the prominent risks in the current economic and financial fields, we should coordinate and steadily defuse hidden risks in real estate, local government debt, and small and medium-sized financial institutions, strictly preventing the cross-domain transmission of risks. Focusing on key links such as production operations and food and drug safety, we must comprehensively improve the intrinsic safety levels of key infrastructure in transportation, energy, and communications to curb the occurrence of major and exceptionally serious accidents at the source. At the cyberspace level, we must deepen comprehensive governance, strengthen personal information protection, and actively respond to new public expectations and concerns regarding security in the digital age.
(The authors are, respectively, a contributing researcher at the CASS Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and an associate researcher at the CASS Institute of Industrial Economics.) Source: People's Daily (January 15, 2026) Web Editor: Huihui