The year 2024 marks the 10th anniversary of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s original proposal of the Overall National Security Outlook. Over the past decade, under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, and guided by the scientific principles of the Overall National Security Outlook within the framework of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, our national security work in the new era has achieved historic accomplishments. The sovereignty, security, and development interests of the nation have been comprehensively safeguarded. Practice has shown that the Overall National Security Outlook has propelled the theory and practice of national security with Chinese characteristics to a historic leap, serving as the fundamental adherence and action guide for national security work in the new era. On this new journey in the new era, it is imperative that we deeply understand, fully implement, and apply it comprehensively.

1. Fully Understanding the Ideological Essence of the Overall National Security Outlook

On April 15, 2014, during the first meeting of the Central National Security Commission, General Secretary Xi Jinping originally proposed the Overall National Security Outlook. Over the past decade, the Party Central Committee, with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, has insightfully navigated the changes of the century, grasped the needs of national rejuvenation, and led the trends of the times. By integrating Marxist national security theory with contemporary Chinese security practices and the excellent traditional Chinese strategic culture, it has continuously deepened theoretical innovation in national security practices of the new era. In October 2017, the 19th Party Congress incorporated adherence to the Overall National Security Outlook into the basic strategy for upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era. In April 2018, the General Secretary further elaborated on the Overall National Security Outlook at the first meeting of the 19th Central National Security Commission, asserting the organic unity of people’s security, political security, and the preeminence of national interests, alongside the importance of maintaining and shaping national security. In October 2020, the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee emphasized securing the baseline of safe development, integrating the coordination of development and security into the guiding principles for the country’s economic and social development during the 14th Five-Year Plan period. In December 2020, the General Secretary provided a comprehensive, systematic, and complete discussion on the Overall National Security Outlook during the 26th collective study session of the Political Bureau of the 19th Central Committee, laying out “ten adherences” as work requirements. In November 2021, the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee systematically summarized the major achievements and valuable experiences gained in maintaining national security in the new era. In October 2022, the 20th National Congress made special arrangements for advancing the modernization of the national security system and capabilities, further enriching and developing the Overall National Security Outlook.

The Overall National Security Outlook is a scientific theoretical system centered on “overall” aspects and “Ten Adherences” as its core essence. It is an open theoretical system that has been continuously enriched and developed with the deepening practice of national security with Chinese characteristics. It contains profound ideological content: clarifying the strategic position of national security, emphasizing that national security is the foundation of national rejuvenation, and asserting that national security work is an extremely important aspect of the Party’s governance. It highlights the necessity of adhering to and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics, deeming the guarantee of national security as of paramount importance. It makes clear the path choice for national security, steadfastly advancing on the path of national security with Chinese characteristics to ensure the process of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is neither delayed nor interrupted. It underscores the inevitable requirement of coordinating development and security, integrating the maintenance of national security throughout all aspects and the entire process of the Party and state’s work, safeguarding the new development paradigm with a new security layout, and ensuring high-quality development with high-level security. It advocates for people’s security as the purpose, relying on and serving the people in all aspects of national security, providing a strong guarantee for the people’s peaceful and prosperous lives, and gathering formidable strength to safeguard national security. It highlights the central task of national security, emphasizing the need for bottom-line thinking and preparing for major tests by preventing and resolving national security risks. It declares political security as the lifeline of national security, placing it at the utmost priority and ensuring the security of the state’s power, system, and ideology. It calls for comprehensive advancement in all areas of security, coordinating the response to both traditional and non-traditional security challenges, and pushing forward the modernization of the national security system and capabilities. It values technological empowerment, strengthening self-reliance and self-improvement in science and technology as strategic supports for national security and development, vigorously promoting independent innovation, and enhancing the construction of national strategic scientific and technological forces. It emphasizes the improvement of the national security legal system, utilizing legislation, law enforcement, and judicial means to conduct struggles, and continuously improving the capability to maintain national security with the rule of law and practical application. It outlines the necessity of backing national security with solid defense and a powerful military as the strong support for national security, advocating for the construction of a consolidated national defense and a formidable military to provide strategic support for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. promoting international common security and contributing to the construction of a community of common destiny with universal security. It insists on the courage to struggle, overcoming various difficulties and challenges on the path forward, and emphasizes that the fundamental guarantee for national security is the Party’s absolute leadership over national security work, advocating for more effective overall coordination and integrating the Party’s leadership throughout all aspects of national security work.

The Overall National Security Outlook profoundly addresses the major theoretical and practical questions of national security in the new era, marking a new height in the Party’s understanding of the basic laws of national security. It has made significant original contributions to the development of Marxist national security theory, provided an action program for maintaining and shaping national security in the new era, and contributed the Chinese solution to improving global security governance. In contemporary China, to adhere to and develop the Overall National Security Outlook is to truly adhere to and develop Marxist national security theory and genuinely persist in and expand the path of national security with Chinese characteristics.

2. Deeply Grasping the Practical Greatness of the Overall National Security Outlook

Since the 18th Party Congress, the Party Central Committee, with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, has coordinated the grand strategy of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the profound changes unseen in a century in the world, implemented the Overall National Security Outlook, made a series of major decisions and deployments, and implemented a series of significant reform measures. These efforts have led national security work to achieve historic accomplishments and undergo historic transformations.

With bold reforms to systems and mechanisms, we have advanced the modernization of the national security system and capabilities. Adhering to the principle that the ultimate authority on national security rests with the Party Central Committee, the Central National Security Commission was established, with General Secretary Xi Jinping personally serving as its chair. This established a centralized, unified, and highly authoritative national security leadership system. The issuance of regulations such as The Chinese Communist Party’s Leadership over National Security Work and National Security Responsibility System of the Party Committee (Party Group) systematically clarified major issues regarding national security, such as “who leads, how to lead, who implements, how to implement,” further strengthening the Party’s absolute leadership from an institutional perspective. The establishment of coordination mechanisms for key areas and important special projects has effectively strengthened the coordination of work in all areas and links, enhancing the national security system, significantly boosting capabilities, and marking a historic transformation from fragmentation to centralization, from inefficiency to efficiency, and from passivity to proactivity.

With significant efforts to build a new security pattern, we have coordinated high-quality development with high-level security. Treating “coordinating development and security” as a major principle of governance, we proposed that development and security are two wings of the same body, the dual wheels driving progress. The National Security Strategy (2021—2025) was issued, achieving synchronous planning and integrated advancement of national security and economic-social development. Innovatively, we have coordinated high-quality development and high-level security, establishing a new development pattern that primarily focuses on the domestic cycle and mutually promotes the dual circulation of domestic and international flows. This created a new security pattern that corresponds with and safeguards the new development pattern, significantly enhancing our country’s vitality, competitiveness, development potential, and sustainability, and taking solid steps towards building a modern socialist country in all aspects.

With grand strategies to win a series of major battles, we have firmly grasped the strategic initiative in maintaining national security. United and leading the people in a great struggle with many new historical features, we have forcefully counteracted extreme containment and suppression by external forces. We have withstood major risk tests from all sides, creating a miracle of rapid economic development and long-term social stability. We have historically resolved the problem of absolute poverty, comprehensively built a moderately prosperous society, and successfully embarked on a path of modernization with Chinese characteristics. We have vigorously promoted the enactment of the Hong Kong National Security Law, realizing “one law for the stabilization of Hong Kong” thoroughly smashing the Hong Kong version of the “color revolution,” and driving a major shift from chaos to governance in Hong Kong. We have forcefully organized and carried out a series of struggles concerning Taiwan, Xinjiang, Tibet, and maritime issues, firmly grasping the overall initiative in maintaining national security and ensuring the irreversible process of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

With a grand vision to improve the national security legal system, we have crafted a sharp weapon for preventing and resolving major risks. Adhering to the law as a powerful weapon for maintaining national security, with the National Security Law enacted in 2015 as the guiding principle, more than 20 specialized legislations on national security were introduced, including the National Intelligence Law, Counter-Terrorism Law, Cybersecurity Law, Biosecurity Law, Data Security Law, and Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law. In addition, over 110 laws and regulations containing national security provisions were formulated or revised, continuously perfecting the legal system of national security with Chinese characteristics. Especially in response to the needs of counter-espionage efforts under new circumstances, the newly revised Counter-Espionage Law was introduced, legally punishing espionage crimes, effectively protecting and promoting normal international exchanges, more precisely “protecting the legal, combating the illegal,” providing strong protection for defending national security on the track of rule of law.

With great efforts in conducting nationwide national security publicity and education, we have gathered a formidable force to maintain national security. Always treating the strengthening of national security education as a foundational, long-term, and strategic project, we established April 15 as the National Security Education Day for all citizens. For nine consecutive years, we have organized publicity and educational activities nationwide, issued Opinions on Comprehensively Strengthening National Security Education, and accelerated the establishment of national security education systems, academic systems, and discourse systems. We have promoted diversified forms and carriers of publicity and education, implementing national security education in government agencies, schools, enterprises, communities, villages, military camps, and online, effectively creating a strong atmosphere where national security is everyone’s responsibility and duty, solidifying the political, social, and public foundation for maintaining national security.

With broad intellectual efforts in promoting international common security, we have demonstrated the responsibility of a major country in global security governance. We are advancing the establishment of a common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security concept, implementing the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, and Global Civilization Initiative, advocating for a new type of security path that favors dialogue over confrontation, partnerships over alliances, and win-win outcomes over zero-sum games. We are pushing for a transformation in the global governance system, offering Chinese wisdom to address global risks and challenges, and using Chinese solutions to promote the peaceful resolution of international disputes and hotspot issues. We are promoting the construction of a community of common destiny with universal security, using the high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road as a practical platform, leading the world towards a bright future of peace, security, prosperity, and progress.

The Overall National Security Outlook guides and leads the great struggle and great transformation of the new era, fully demonstrating General Secretary Xi Jinping’s extraordinary theoretical courage, outstanding political wisdom, and strong sense of mission as the founder of the Overall National Security Outlook, and as a Marxist politician, thinker, and strategist with grand vision, foresight, and strategic acumen. Practice has fully proven that the “Two Establishments” are the greatest certainty, confidence, and guarantee to overcome all difficulties and uncertainties, and to respond to all uncertainties. On the new journey, we must more deeply understand the decisive significance of the “Two Establishments,” more consciously study and comprehend the Overall National Security Outlook in depth, and truly use it to arm our minds and guide our practice.

3. Accurately Grasping the Major Requirements of the Overall National Security Outlook

The Overall National Security Outlook emphasizes systematic thinking and methodology in doing national security work, highlighting scientific methods such as putting people first, being problem-oriented, and having a systemic concept. It is a powerful ideological weapon tested by practice and filled with practical greatness. We must deeply understand the positions, views, and methods throughout it, and fully grasp its major requirements.

Building the whole system, strengthening the construction of all aspects of the national security system. Systemic confrontation is the basic characteristic of the current national security struggle, and international competition reflects the integrated competition of national development and security. Whoever can coordinate resources from a top-level design to fight the overall battle and achieve the systemic integration of national strength to the greatest extent will be able to take the initiative in the struggle. We must adhere to the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, fully play the core role of the Party in taking charge of the overall situation and coordinating all parties, improve the national security legal system, strategic system, policy system, risk monitoring and early warning system, national emergency management system, etc., and build a comprehensive and efficient national security protection system, effectively transforming system advantages into actual combat effectiveness.

Controlling risks in all fields, effectively resolving risks in all areas of national security. Today, the connotation and extension of our country’s national security are richer than at any time in history, its spatial and temporal domains are broader than at any time in history, and its internal and external factors are more complex than at any time in history. National security faces various foreseeable and unpredictable risks and challenges. We must firmly establish a comprehensive security concept, bring all risks that may affect national security into view, strengthen traditional security such as politics, economy, military, and territory, and also control non-traditional security risks such as biology, data, and artificial intelligence, preventing “black swan” and “grey rhino” events, achieving coordinated governance and common consolidation in all areas of security.

Coordinating in all directions, strengthening domestic and international, online and offline layouts. In the context of informatization and networking, the linkage, transnational nature, and diversity of security issues are more prominent, and the connection and transmission between internal and external security, the real world and the cyber world are strengthened. We must strengthen domestic and international layouts, strike against infiltration and sabotage internally, ensuring national political security, social stability, and people’s peace, participate in global security governance externally, and promote international common security; strengthen online and offline layouts, improve the management system of cyberspace, enhance risk perception, early warning, and protection capabilities, and comprehensively build a national security risk prevention barrier.

Using all means, making good use of various forces to maintain national security. Under the new circumstances, national security risks are manifold and varied, and the characteristics of instantaneity, hybridity, and amplification of various risks are more prominent. The backwash, confluence, superposition, linkage, magnification, and induction effects are more obvious. Only by comprehensively using all available means to prevent and deal with them can we achieve the best results. We must promote the transformation of the means and methods of maintaining and shaping national security, coordinate the use of political, economic, cultural, diplomatic, judicial, educational, and technological means, and place greater emphasis on synergy and efficiency, the rule of law, technology empowerment, and grassroots foundation. By making the first move and taking proactive actions, we aim to shift national security work towards early warning, rapid response, and proactive shaping.

Mobilizing the entire society, we wage the people’s war on maintaining national security. The mass line is the lifeline and fundamental work route of our Party. At its core, national security work is about safeguarding the interests of the people, and must rely closely on the people. “Finding our foundation in the people, gathering strength from the people, and accomplishing it with the people.” We must always regard the people as the foundational force of national security, enhance the national security awareness of all citizens, solidify the people’s defense line of national security, expand effective ways for the masses to participate in national security governance, and build an impregnable wall for maintaining national security.

4. Main Tasks in Deeply Implementing the Overall National Security Outlook

At present, the world is experiencing profound changes unseen in a century, and our country is at a critical period in realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Maintaining national security faces many risks and challenges. We must deeply implement the Overall National Security Outlook, based on the responsibilities of national security agencies, focus on major and prominent risks, and fully carry out anti-subversion, anti-hegemony, anti-separation, anti-terrorism, and anti-espionage struggles, resolutely safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and development interests.

Anti-Subversion: Effectively maintaining political security. Safeguarding the security of state power, strictly cracking down on foreign infiltration, destruction, subversion, and separatist activities, and unswervingly defending the leadership position and ruling position of the Chinese Communist Party. Maintaining system security, being highly vigilant against Westernization and division schemes by anti-China hostile forces, and resolutely fighting against all acts that slander and undermine the socialist system with Chinese characteristics. Maintaining ideological security, guarding the ideological positions, opposing and resisting all kinds of erroneous tendencies, resisting and preventing the infiltration of religious extremism, and strictly preventing various risks from spreading to the field of political security.

Anti-Hegemony: Resolutely countering external containment and suppression. Firmly opposing all forms of hegemonism and power politics, improving mechanisms for counter-sanctions, anti-interference, and anti-long-arm jurisdiction, and firmly safeguarding the core interests of the nation. Basing the development and rejuvenation of the nation and ethnicity on our own strengths, pushing forward to win the battle for key core technologies, advancing high-level technological self-reliance, and firmly holding the initiative in development and security. Coordinating our own security with common security, upholding the banners of peace, development, cooperation, and mutual benefit, opposing protectionism, “building walls and barriers,” and “decoupling and supply chain disruptions,” opposing unilateral sanctions and extreme pressure, firmly safeguarding world peace, and defending fairness and justice.

Anti-Separatism: Advancing the great cause of national reunification. Consolidating and expanding the achievements of anti-separatism and anti-interference struggles, resolutely defeating any form of “Taiwan independence” separatist schemes, and resolutely fighting against behaviors of “relying on the U.S. for independence” and “using Taiwan to control China.” Supporting and strengthening patriotic forces that advocate reunification, promoting peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, fostering emotional bonds among compatriots on both sides of the Strait, and contributing to the complete reunification of the motherland.

Anti-Terrorism: Vigilantly guarding against domestic and international terrorist risks. Severely cracking down on domestic violent terrorist activities, adhering to the principles of striking terrorism wherever it appears, punishing according to the law, continuously consolidating and expanding the good situation in the fight against terrorism, and maintaining the bottom line of no violent terrorist incidents occurring domestically. Responding to overseas terrorist threats, focusing on areas with concentrated overseas interests, strengthening terrorism risk early warning, enhancing emergency response to sudden incidents, and effectively safeguarding the safety of overseas citizens, institutions, and projects. Deepening international cooperation on counter-terrorism, improving mechanisms for counter-terrorism intelligence collaboration, financial monitoring, law enforcement cooperation, and judicial assistance, promoting advanced security checks, enhancing source control, and promoting continuous improvement in the counter-terrorism situation.

Anti-Espionage: Safeguarding the strategic interests and core secrets of the nation. Organizing offensive struggles, intensively carrying out special anti-espionage operations, ensuring more rigorous attacks, stricter prevention, and more forceful countermeasures. Innovating the pattern of struggle, improving the coordination mechanism for anti-espionage work, focusing on the protection of critical national assets, weaving a dense anti-espionage security prevention “three-dimensional net,” and effectively striking various espionage activities. , adhering to the combination of specialists and the masses, enhancing the construction of anti-espionage clue reporting platforms such as 12339, strengthening the main responsibility for anti-spy prevention in all departments, and building an iron wall to safeguard the security of national secrets.

5. Important Guarantees for Strengthening the Implementation of the Overall National Security Outlook

To implement the Overall National Security Outlook and maintain national security on the new journey, we must fully leverage political and systemic advantages, elevate our position, coordinate advancement, and strengthen guarantees, providing strong support for advancing Chinese-style modernization.

Strengthening political guarantees. Grasping the political direction, taking the deep understanding and comprehension of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, especially the Overall National Security Outlook, as a political requirement, work need, and spiritual pursuit, and unwaveringly following the path of national security with Chinese characteristics. Leveraging political advantages, strengthening the absolute leadership of the Party over national security work, adhering to the chairman responsibility system of the Central National Security Commission, and relying on Party organizations at all levels to fully mobilize the enthusiasm and initiative of all departments and localities. Gathering political forces, playing the vanguard role of Party members and cadres, and promoting the conscious participation of all sectors of society and the masses in national security practice, forming a strong joint force.

Strengthening systemic guarantees. Creating a combat-ready system, building an integrated command platform, specialized support pillars, and a systematized combat team, promoting the reshaping of the command system, reconstruction of support forces, reorganization of combat units, and fully unleashing the power of the system. Deepening reform and innovation, promoting the transformation from vertical management to flattening, from work management to modularization, from functional management to combat readiness, from means management to digital and intelligent transformation, from team management to specialization, and accelerating the construction of a modern national security work system and capabilities.

Strengthening legal guarantees. Improving domestic rule of law, strengthening legal guarantees for preventing new types of security risks, advancing the construction of national security law enforcement work towards combat readiness, specialization, and standardization, and accelerating the construction of a legal layout where . Improving foreign-related rule of law, strengthening research on foreign-related rule of law in key areas, building a comprehensive foreign-related legal system, enhancing the effectiveness of foreign-related law enforcement and judiciary, and continuously improving the ability to use legal means to safeguard national security.

Strengthening technological guarantees. Enhancing network capabilities, creating cutting-edge network technologies, comprehensively improving the ability to carry out national security struggles relying on network technology. Optimizing data utilization, gathering massive data, making good use of powerful computing capabilities, innovating advanced algorithms, and promoting the enhancement of national security capabilities. Accelerating intelligent development, conducting forward-looking research and strategic deployment, accelerating the implementation of the intelligent development strategy, innovating and promoting the “virtual bank” mechanism, advancing technological exchange and sharing, and using technology to enhance and boost business performance.

Strengthening publicity guarantees. Seizing important nodes such as the National Security Education Day for all citizens on April 15 and the People’s Police Festival on January 10, deeply carrying out education on the Overall National Security Outlook, strengthening national security publicity among all citizens, and continuously consolidating and expanding the practical, institutional, and theoretical achievements in maintaining national security. Focusing on publicity, vividly telling national security stories in innovative forms, helping the masses better understand the “mysterious” work, “magical” charm, and sacred mission of the national security front. Focusing on platform construction, creating official WeChat accounts for the Ministry of State Security and other new media, building platforms for theoretical introduction, legal education, and information release, and promoting the main melody of maintaining national security.

Strengthening team guarantees. Building absolute loyalty, remembering the overall requirements of “being firm and pure, making the Party feel at ease, being willing to contribute, and being capable of fighting and winning”, enhancing Improving ability and literacy, guiding cadres to strengthen ideological self-discipline, political experience, practical training, professional training, preparedness for trials, and self-discipline cultivation, continuously enhancing business capabilities and combat skills. Strictly managing the Party and the police, perfecting and improving the integrated promotion of the “Three Non-Corrupts” supervision layout, focusing on key areas and prominent issues, striving to forge a loyal, clean, responsible, invincible national security army in the new era.