Li Guangfeng: Accelerate the Construction of a New Security Pattern Guided by the Holistic Approach to National Security
Currently, the changes of the world, of our times, and of history are unfolding in unprecedented ways. Our country’s development has entered a period in which strategic opportunities coexist with risks and challenges, and in which uncertain and unpredictable factors are increasing. The Holistic View of National Security [1] is an important component of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and serves as the fundamental compliance and guide for action for national security work in the New Era. Deeply studying and implementing General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on the Holistic View of National Security, and deepening research and practice around the major New Era issue of “what kind of new security pattern to build and how to build it,” is of great significance for safeguarding national security and development interests and for the comprehensive building of a modern socialist country.
The Scientific Content of Building a New Security Pattern Guided by the Holistic View of National Security
Persist in taking people’s security as the purpose. People's security is the fundamental value orientation of national security and the core essence of the Holistic View of National Security. To build a new security pattern, we must integrate people's security throughout all fields and the entire process of national security work. We must actively respond to the new expectations of the masses regarding ecological security, data security, and elderly care security, and continuously enhance the people's sense of gain, happiness, and security through practical measures such as improving the public security system and resolving risks in the field of people's livelihood.
Persist in taking political security as the fundamental. Political security is the "ballast stone" [2] of national security; its core is the security of the regime and the system, and it is the basic prerequisite for maintaining security in other fields. To build a new security pattern, we must place the maintenance of political security in the primary position, firmly safeguard ideological security, and continuously improve political judgment, political understanding, and political execution. We must resolutely prevent and resist the infiltration, subversion, and sabotage activities of hostile forces to ensure the Party’s long-term governance and the long-term stability of the country.
Persist in taking economic security as the foundation. Economic security is the material basis of national security and the fundamental guarantee for the survival and development of the state. We must resolutely safeguard our country's development interests, actively guard against various risks, and ensure national economic security, especially the key bottom lines of food security, energy security, and the security of industrial and supply chains. To build a new security pattern, we must adhere to development as the top priority, and strengthen the economic foundation for national security through measures such as enhancing economic strength, improving risk prevention and control systems, and regulating the economic order to prevent and resolve risks in financial, industrial, and market fields.
Persist in taking military, technological, cultural, and social security as the pillars. Military, technological, cultural, and social security together constitute the “support system” of national security, each undertaking unique functions while being mutually synergistic. Military security is the strong backing, requiring the enhancement of sovereignty defense capabilities through the modernization of national defense and the armed forces. Technological security is the strategic support, requiring breakthroughs in "chokehold" [3] bottlenecks through high-level technological self-reliance and self-strengthening. Cultural security is the spiritual core, requiring reliance on cultural confidence to inherit fine traditional Chinese culture and enhance national soft power. Social security is the bottom line for people's livelihoods, requiring the resolution of conflicts and disputes and the protection of people's lives and property through innovative social governance. To build a new security pattern, we must coordinate the advancement of security construction in these four major fields to form a multi-dimensional and three-dimensional security guarantee network.
Persist in relying on the promotion of international security. In today's deeply developing globalization, the security of all countries is interdependent and shared. Building a community with a shared future for humanity has become the inevitable choice for addressing global security challenges. To build a new security pattern, we must uphold the concept of common security, actively participate in global security governance, promote international security cooperation, and create a favorable external security environment for our country's development, demonstrating China’s responsibility as a major power in the New Era.
The Major Significance of Building a New Security Pattern Guided by the Holistic View of National Security
Building a new security pattern guided by the Holistic View of National Security is a major strategic choice based on the national security situation in the New Era and focused on the strategic overall situation of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. It possesses profound theoretical value, practical significance, strategic value, and global significance, providing support for national development from multiple dimensions.
In the theoretical dimension, it enriches and develops the theoretical system of national security with Chinese characteristics. Building a new security pattern incorporates security in more than 20 fields—including politics, economy, technology, cyber, and biology—into a holistic governance framework. It breaks through the limitations of traditional security views that "emphasized territory over citizens, traditional security over non-traditional security, and self-interest over common interest." It clarifies the "four beams and eight pillars" [4] of the national security system and provides a Chinese theoretical paradigm for developing countries to explore paths of security and development.
In the practical dimension, it accurately responds to complex security risks and challenges. Building a new security pattern uses systems thinking to coordinate internal and external security, fortifying the foundation of political security and consolidating the economic security base internally, while resolving prominent problems such as "chokeholds" through targeted governance. Externally, it enhances risk resistance and actively resolves external shocks. At the same time, in response to the trend of the people’s security needs shifting from "survival-oriented" to "development-oriented," it integrates security guarantees into the practice of people's livelihoods—such as protecting personal information through cybersecurity legislation and improving emergency management systems to prevent major accidents—ensuring that security dividends effectively benefit the masses.
In the strategic dimension, it escorts the process of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Security is the prerequisite for development, and development is the guarantee for security; the dynamic balance between the two is an important support for national rejuvenation. Building a new security pattern places the prevention and resolution of risks in a prominent position, anticipating and effectively handling "gray rhino" [5] and "black swan" [6] events in the fields of finance, energy, and food, thereby building an insurmountable security bottom line for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
In the global dimension, it promotes the transformation of the international security governance system. The concept of common security advocated by the construction of a new security pattern provides a Chinese solution for solving global security puzzles. It provides referable experience for developing countries to achieve a win-win situation of security and development, and promotes the development of global governance in a more fair and reasonable direction.
The Practical Path for Building a New Security Pattern Guided by the Holistic View of National Security
Building a new security pattern is a systemic project. We must adhere to the Holistic View of National Security as our guide, focus on Party leadership, internal and external coordination, the integration of development and security, and the participation of the whole people, firmly advancing practical innovation to build a solid foundation for secure development.
First, we must handle the issue of the Party’s navigation and orientation, adhering to the Party’s comprehensive leadership to stabilize the course of secure development. The absolute leadership of the Party is the fundamental guarantee for doing national security work well. We must profoundly grasp the decisive significance of the Two Establishments, strengthen the Four Consciousnesses [7], firm the Four Confidences [8], and achieve the Two Upholds, ensuring that national security work always advances along the correct political direction. To build a new security pattern, we must always adhere to the Party’s core leadership role in overseeing the overall situation and coordinating all parties, forming a powerful synergy where the Party, government, military, civilians, and academia work together to protect security.
Second, we must revitalize the "grand chessboard" [9] of internal and external coordination, building a collaborative governance system to achieve internal and external linkage. Internally, focus on targeted governance in core areas to fortify the "ballast stone" of security. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, our country has continuously improved the national security legal system, strategic system, and policy system, strengthening social order prevention and control, and continuing the "two miracles" of rapid economic development and long-term social stability. Building a new security pattern requires continuous implementation of precision governance in key areas such as politics, economy, and technology, resolving technological "chokehold" risks, preventing systemic risks in the financial field, and consolidating the internal foundation of national security. Externally, we must adhere to openness and cooperation to shape a favorable external environment.
Third, we must adhere to systems thinking for integrated development, coordinating high-quality development and high-level security to consolidate the material foundation. Development is the Party's top priority in governing and rejuvenating the country; high-quality development is the theme of economic and social development in the New Era. At the same time, security is the prerequisite for development, and ensuring national security is a matter of paramount importance; high-level security is an inherent requirement and an important yardstick for high-quality development. Building a new security pattern must promote the deep integration of development and security. We should improve security concepts, systems, and capabilities according to the needs of different development stages, realizing the transformation of security guarantees from single fields to systemic and multi-dimensional ones, allowing the fruits of development to provide support for security construction and having security guarantees create a stable environment for development.
Finally, we must pool strength and reinforce national security education for all people to build a social security line of defense. National security cannot be achieved without the participation of the entire population. Building a new security pattern should take national security education for all as a starting point, forming a security atmosphere of "everyone has a responsibility, everyone fulfills their duty, and everyone enjoys security." On one hand, we should innovate security education methods, combining centralized publicity with routine education. Taking the annual "National Security Education Day" on April 15 as an opportunity, we can carry out centralized publicity through knowledge competitions, themed exhibitions, and special lectures; simultaneously, use new media platforms to expand the coverage of education, extending it to the grassroots level and various groups. On the other hand, we must promote the integration of national security education into the national education system. Fully implement national security education requirements for primary, secondary, and tertiary schools, build a complete education content system, develop specialized textbooks, advance the construction of the discipline of National Security Studies, strengthen the teaching staff and practice bases, and establish a scientific teaching evaluation mechanism to fundamentally improve the national security awareness and literacy of the entire citizenry.
Standing at a new historical starting point, we must take the Holistic View of National Security as our fundamental compliance, profoundly grasp the scientific content, major significance, and practical path of building a new security pattern, and resolutely implement the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee. We must continuously enhance the modernization level of the national security system and capacity. By building a new security pattern to safeguard the new development pattern, we provide a strong security guarantee for comprehensively building a modern socialist country and comprehensively promoting the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.