National security is an important cornerstone of peace and stability. Since the 18th Party Congress, the CCP Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has creatively proposed the overall national security outlook from a strategic height and overall situation of realizing the long-term stability of the country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. It has achieved a major breakthrough in the traditional concept of national security, deepened and expanded our party’s theoretical vision and practical field of national security issues, and marked that a new height for our party’s understanding of national security issues, pointing the way forward and providing the fundamental guidelines for us to conduct national security work in the new era.

On April 15, 2022, on the occasion of the 8th anniversary of the overall national security outlook, according to the deployment of the Party Central Committee, the Outline for the Study of the Overall National Security Concept organized and compiled by the Propaganda Department of the CCP Central Committee and the Office of the Central National Security Committee was published and distributed. This is a major event in the Party’s ideological and theoretical construction, and it provides an authoritative guidebook for studying and implementing the overall national security outlook.

The social stability and long-term stability of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region are related to the overall situation of national reform, development, and stability, the reunification of the motherland, national unity, national security, and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, the Party Committee of the Autonomous Region has deeply understood the decisive significance of the “Two Establishments,” has strengthened the “Four Consciences,” strengthened the “Four Matters of Confidence,” and achieved the “Two Upholds.” It has deeply practiced the overall national security outlook, completed and accurately implemented the Party’s strategy for governing Xinjiang in the new era. It has firmly maintained the general goal of social stability and long-term stability, generally utilized strategic thinking, rule of law thinking, system thinking, dialectical thinking, and bottom-line thinking. It has comprehensively planned, deployed, and promoted the implementation of various national security tasks and has contributed to overall national security with practical actions in Xinjiang to maintain social stability and promote long-term stability.

1. Persist in planning and deploying national security with strategic thinking. General Secretary Xi Jinping has indicated that Xinjiang is an important security barrier for Northwest China, with a unique strategic position and unique problems. It is of great significance that we properly address our work in Xinjiang. Insist on reviewing and planning Xinjiang work from a strategic perspective, focusing on the overall strategic situation of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the great changes in the world unseen in a century, closely centering on the general goal of social stability and long-term stability in Xinjiang to maintain national security, and focus on long-term strategies, Carry out the act of consolidating the foundation, build the trend of long-term stability, and grow the enterprise of governance. Adhere to the absolute leadership of the Party as the fundamental principle of national security work, which must run through all aspects and the whole process of safeguarding national security in Xinjiang. Strictly implement the national security responsibility system and strengthen the main responsibility of party committees (party groups) at all levels to maintain national security, placing primary responsibility upon party committee (party group) secretaries. Include national security work in major agendas and achieve uniform planning, deployment, and implementation in line with reform, development, and stability. Improve the national security leadership institutions of autonomous regions, localities (prefectures, municipalities), and counties (municipalities, districts), give full play to the role of commanding and coordinating regional national security affairs, pay attention to the implementation of responsibilities, improve mechanisms, and implement policies, and tighten the chain of responsibility that runs through the upper and lower levels to form a joint effort to safeguard national security. Strengthen national security system and capacity building and take the initiative to adapt to new situations, new tasks, and new requirements. Establish and improve working mechanisms for risk research, assessment, prevention, and control. Strengthen the construction of the rule of law for national security, deepen national security publicity and education, and promote the construction of a national security system that is in line with Xinjiang’s realities, that is an all-encompassing system, that is scientifically regulated, and that operates effectively. Continuously enhance the ability and level by which we shape national security postures.

2. Adhere to the rule of law to safeguard political security. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that the core of political security is regime security and institutional security, and the most fundamental matter is to maintain the leadership and ruling status of the Chinese Communist Party and maintain the socialist system with Chinese characteristics. We insist on prioritizing the maintenance of national political security, especially the security of the regime and system, and thoroughly implement Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law. Hold high the banner of socialist rule of law, place the rule of law in Xinjiang in a more prominent and important position, and implement it in all areas of work in Xinjiang. Severely crack down on ethnic separatist, religious extremist, and violent terrorist forces in accordance with the law, and resolutely safeguard national security and overall social stability in Xinjiang. Carry out in-depth anti-secession struggles, deeply understand the long-term, complex, and arduous nature of Xinjiang’s anti-secession struggles, continue to deepen anti-secession struggle education in the whole of society, and strictly prevent and lawfully crack down on the infiltration, subversion, and sabotage activities of separatist forces. Carry out the fight against terrorism and conduct de-radicalization in accordance with the law, maintain an unshakable stance of crackdowns and high pressure, accurately crack down on terrorism and extremist illegal and criminal activities in accordance with the law, resolutely prevent major violent and terrorist incidents from occurring, and never allow the hard-won stable situation to be reversed. Carry out in-depth de-extremification work, educate and rescue people who have been deceived by extremist ideology to the greatest extent, and ensure ideological stability and life and work in peace and contentment. Vigorously promote the stabilization of borders, focus on improving border management and control capabilities, and secure security fences to prevent the return of overseas terrorist and extremist forces. Comprehensively promote the normalization of the rule of law in counter-terrorism and stability maintenance and improve the legal and policy system, the law enforcement system, and the urban and rural grassroots governance system. Optimize counter-terrorism and stability maintenance policies, strategies, and methods and adhere to the use of the rule of law thinking and methods to prevent risks, combat crimes, deal with issues, and resolve conflicts. Promote anti-terrorism and stability maintenance to always operate on the track of the rule of law and transform this work into a standardized, refined, and normal profession. Fully mobilize the enthusiasm and initiative of the people to maintain social harmony and stability. Adhere to the people as the fundamental force of national security and expand effective ways for people of all ethnic groups to participate in national security governance and to maintain stability in Xinjiang. Integrate special groupings, group prevention, and group governance to build an ironclad Great Wall for people of all ethnic groups to jointly safeguard the unity of the motherland, national unity, and social stability.

3. Adhere to the use of systematic thinking to carry out external struggles. General Secretary Xi Jinping has indicated that we should resolutely contain and combat the splitting, infiltration, and sabotage activities carried out by hostile forces at home and abroad using ethnic issues. We must be sober and firm in our minds, dare to show our strength in the face of right and wrong, and dare to face difficulties in the face of contradictions. In response to overseas anti-China forces that try to “control China with Xinjiang,” coordinate both domestic and international situations, carry forward the fighting spirit, dare to fight, and excel in fighting to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests. Focus on improving international communication capabilities and insist on speaking from facts. Carry out multi-level, all-round, and three-dimensional publicity and promotions. Use media such as press conferences and “cloud promotion” activities to tell Xinjiang stories well. Demonstrate the sound state of social stability in Xinjiang and the happy life of the people living and working in peace and contentment. Make efforts to improve the level of opening up to the outside world. Widely invite UN officials, foreign envoys in China, international organizations, media reporters, and religious groups to visit the real Xinjiang to experience the real and vivid Xinjiang up close and objectively and thereby enhance the international community’s understanding of Xinjiang. Make efforts to improve the ability to fight in accordance with the law and strengthen the construction of the rule of law in foreign affairs. Make good use of laws and regulations such as the Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law to fight against sanctions, interference, and “long-arm jurisdiction” in accordance with the law. Resolutely oppose power politics and judicial bullying and defend national sovereignty, dignity, and core interests.

4. Adhere to the use of dialectical thinking to coordinate development and security. General Secretary Xi Jinping has insisted that reform, development, and stability are the three important fulcrums of China’s socialist modernization drive. Reform is a powerful driving force for economic and social development, development is the key to solving all economic and social problems, and stability is the prerequisite for reform and development. Security and development are two wings of one whole and two wheels of one driving force. We insist on taking stability as the basic premise of Xinjiang’s prosperity and development and regard development as an important foundation for Xinjiang’s long-term stability. Promote reform and development while maintaining social stability, promote social stability through reform and development, and strive to achieve a positive interaction between high-quality development and high-level security. Firmly establish the philosophy people-centered development and insist that all reforms and development in Xinjiang should be given the meaning of maintaining national unity, opposing fractures, and promoting unity. Endowed with the meaning of improving people’s livelihood and uniting people’s hearts and based on Xinjiang’s resource endowment and location advantages, identify the embedded point and force point of integrating into and serving the new development pattern. Adhere to people’s livelihood and promote high-quality development, support, encourage, and help people of all ethnic groups to participate in development, find employment, and start businesses to increase income and let people become rich. Make up for the shortcomings of people’s livelihood during development so that people of all ethnic groups have a more fulfilling, more secure, and more sustainable sense of gain, happiness, and security. Promote the common prosperity and socialist modernization of all ethnic groups to help one another and to go hand in hand. Firmly adhere to the bottom line of safe development and adhere to the mission of the safety of the people. Adhere to the supremacy of people and life, coordinate epidemic prevention and control and economic and social development. To safeguard the safety and health of the people, continuously improve the ability and level to respond to major public health emergencies. Adhere to the problem-oriented approach and focus on solving the safety problems that people of all ethnic groups have strongly expressed. Continue to do a good job in work safety and food and drug safety matters that concern the vital interests of the masses. Correctly handle the relationship between disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief and economic and social development. Comprehensively improve the comprehensive prevention capability of the whole society against natural disasters and provide a strong guarantee for the protection of people’s lives and property and national security.

5. Adhere to using bottom-line thinking to prevent and resolve risks and challenges. General Secretary Xi Jinping has insisted that it is necessary to be consistent in enhancing the awareness of urgency and preventing risks and challenges. We must always adhere to a problem orientation and to strengthening bottom-line thinking. Maintain the sense of urgency in times of peace and the strategic awareness of preventing risks and challenges. Prepare for the bad in everything, strive for the best, play first moves well, and fight active battles well. Improve the ability to foresee and predict risks, and focus on preventing and defusing risks and challenges affecting ethnic unity, religious harmony, and ideological security to lay a solid foundation for long-term stability in Xinjiang. Effectively prevent and resolve risks in ethnic relations, accurately grasp and fully implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important thought on strengthening and improving ethnic work, and excel in national work in the new era with the main task of casting a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation. Deepen research, publicity, and education on the history of the Chinese nation community and the pattern of the pluralistic unity of the Chinese nation. Optimize and improve the “National Unity as One Family” campaign and accelerate the construction of an embedded social structure for all ethnic groups. Strengthen the education of the national common language and writing and promote the extensive exchanges and integration of various ethnic groups in a tangible, sensible, and effective manner to hold the people together like pomegranate seeds. Adhere to equality of all ethnic groups and equality before the law, govern ethnic affairs in accordance with the law, and properly handle issues involving ethnic factors in accordance with the law. Effectively prevent and defuse risks in religious affairs and fully implement the Party’s religious work theories, principles, and policies in the new era. Fully implement the Party’s basic policy on religious work and insist on protecting what is legal, stopping what is illegal, curbing extremism, resisting infiltration, and cracking down on crimes. Adhere to the direction of sinicization of religion in China and strengthen the construction of the “Three Teams” of the party and government cadres, representatives of religious circles, and religious studies. Make efforts to improve the ability to “guide” and actively encourage religious affairs to adapt to socialist society. Strengthen the management of religious affairs in accordance with the law, further promote de-radicalization, resolutely resist the use of religion abroad to infiltrate, and prevent the infringement of religious extremist ideology. Effectively prevent and defuse risks in the ideological field and strictly implement the responsibility system for ideological work. Strengthen the construction of ideological positions and consolidate and strengthen mainstream ideological and public opinions. Make efforts to excel in ideological and political work in schools and firmly grasp the rights to leadership, management, and discourse of ideological work. Deepen the implementation of cultural enrichment projects, vigorously promote and practice core socialist values, and resolutely eliminate the poisonous influence of “dual panism” thinking. Effectively prevent and defuse cyber and data security risks and unwaveringly adhere to the Party’s management of the internet. Strengthen cyberspace governance in accordance with the law and strengthen the construction of online content. Strengthen positive online propaganda, resolutely block overseas cyber penetration, and cut off the online spread of violent terrorism and religion as well as channels for extremist thinking. Resolutely prevent and crack down on various infiltration and sabotage activities on the internet. Strengthen the data security protection of key basic information, enhance data security early warning and traceability capabilities, and ensure the safe and orderly use of data. At the same time, make overall plans for the security of land, economy, S&T, culture, society, ecology, and other fields. Strive to make up for shortcomings and achieve long-term benefits and effectively deal with prominent and potential security threats. Continuously improve the comprehensive benefits of national security work, strive to create a new situation for safeguarding national security in Xinjiang, and take practical actions to welcome the triumph of the 20th Party Congress.