Recent Developments Underscore Beijing’s Global Security Ambitions

Eduardo Jaramillo

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Beijing is looking to increase its security presence in Asia and further afield, according to two recent high-level statements of intent—a white paper on “national security in the new era” and a new “model of security for Asia.”

Beijing senses opportunities amid policy uncertainty from the United States. Efforts on the margins, such as limited security cooperation with Southeast Asian states, could lay the groundwork for higher-stakes security cooperation in the future.

The ideas behind the Party-state’s latest announcements have been over a decade in the making. One such idea, the “comprehensive national security concept,” 

is now linked explicitly with Xi Jinping’s Global Security Initiative, indicating Xi’s ambitions to promote his governance models beyond the borders of the People’s Republic of China.

Two high-level announcements relating to international security shed light on how the leadership of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) sees the state of the world and its role in it. A white paper titled “China’s National Security in the New Era” (新时代的中国国家安全)—the first of its kind for the country—portrays Chinese society as an example of stability amid a world facing “new turbulent changes”

(新的动荡变革). It also stresses the need for a “comprehensive” (总体) approach to national security (Xinhua, May 12). [1] Meanwhile, General Secretary Xi Jinping has introduced the concept of a “model of security for Asia” (亚洲安全模式), described as featuring “sharing weal and woe, seeking common ground while shelving differences, and prioritizing dialogue and consultation as the strategic support” (以安危与共、求同存异、对话协商的亚洲安全模式为战略支撑) (FMPRC, April 9; People’s Daily, April 10).