Yuan Peng on Comprehensive National Security

Yuan Peng, “Fundamental Principles Maintaining and Shaping National Security in the New Era—Studying the Outline of the Comprehensive National Security Concept”[1]

Introduction and Translation by David Ownby
 
Introduction
 
Yuan Peng (b. 1967) is the head of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), a think tank affiliated with the Ministry of State Security, as well as Secretary General of the Center for Research on the Comprehensive National Security Concept 总体国家安全观研究中心秘书长, which may well be a new appointment.  Yuan is a scholar and a specialist on the U.S. and on Sino-American relations, and several of his essays have been translated on this site. A reader favorite is “The Coronavirus Pandemic and a Once-in-a-Century Change,” in which Yuan liken the pandemic to the world wars that have marked vital turning points in modern history, suggesting that the world order will never be the same again, and that China’s chances look pretty good (the piece was published in June 2020—an update would be welcome).
 
In the text translated here, Yuan is writing less as a scholar and more as the Secretary General of the Center for Research on the Overall National Security Concept, and the text appears in the April 26 edition of the People’s Daily.  The general subject addressed is the publication of a book entitled Outline of the Overall National Security Concept on April 15, 2022 (for a description of the book, in Chinese, see here; if there is a pdf version available I was unable to find it in a brief Internet search). 

The point of the Outline is to facilitate study of China’s comprehensive national security concept, which is the concentrated expression of Xi Jinping’s thinking about national security, and thus related to China’s fairly rapid change from a reactive to a proactive posture under Xi, which includes a far more expansive view of what “national security” consists of than in the pre-Xi era.  For a balanced discussion of the comprehensive national security concept, you might consult this MERICS Brief here.  In fact, unless you are already well-versed in China’s national security issues, I would suggest starting with the MERICS Brief, because Yuan Peng is writing in full Party-speak mode, which is largely incomprehensible to the uninitiated.
 
In fact, it is not immediately obvious why Yuan wrote his piece, except to announce the publication of the Outline and to mention what is going on at his institute (new journal, new doctoral program).  He does however mention—if in passing—the war in Ukraine and the coronavirus pandemic, both of which have turned into potentially massive headaches in terms of China’s comprehensive national security (as Joerg Wuttke, President of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China, brilliantly discusses here).  The more subtle message of Yuan’s text may thus be that all of China’s thinking about comprehensive national security in the new era is about to be put to the supreme test, because China appears to have backed itself into a corner on two issues of vital importance to the comprehensive world situation.
 
A basic rule I follow in my translation work is that if I don’t understand a text, I don’t translate it, which can happen for any number of reasons—the author’s style, the subject, the context may be so obscure that I just don’t get it.  I almost did not translate Yuan Peng’s piece, because once again it is written in Party-speak, and hence is full of slogans and buzzwords which can be deeply meaningful to those who speak that language, but which are arcane for the casual reader.  I decided to go ahead with the translation to illustrate the stark contrast between Yuan writing in Party-speak mode and Yuan writing in establishment intellectual mode (again, I invite you to take a look at “The Coronavirus Pandemic and a Once-in-a-Century Change”), a brilliant example of “code-switching.”  When he writes as an establishment intellectual, Yuan has an elegant style and writes to persuade his reader.  When he writes for People’s Daily, Yuan has no choice but to conform strictly to the Party’s extremely careful use of language as well as its “house style” (see Michael Schoenhals, Doing Things with Words in Chinese Politics 1992).  The immense gap between Yuan’s two styles of writing is the product of reform and opening.
 
I do not read much Chinese propaganda in Chinese for three reasons:  first, I am not trained to understand it; second, there are people who are trained to understand it, and who make it available to me in English (please subscribe to Bill Bishop’s Sinocism for your daily dose); and third, I find it deadly dull (in part because it is so difficult to understand).  If I had to read the People’s Daily on a regular basis I might be mean to my dog.  So readers of my blog should bear in mind that the “inside views” they are getting by reading my translations reveal little or nothing about the Party and its inner workings and instead reflect the relatively independent intellectual world that has emerged since reform and opening, two quite different expressions of the China Dream. 
 
Translation
 
On April 15, 2014, at the first meeting of the Central National Security Commission, General Secretary Xi Jinping creatively proposed that China must adhere to the concept of comprehensive national security, taking people's security as the purpose, political security as the base, economic security as the foundation, military, cultural and social security as the guarantee, and promotion of international security as the backbone, thus embarking on a national security path with Chinese characteristics. In the past eight years, under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as its core, and under the guidance of the comprehensive national security concept, the national security path with Chinese characteristics has been continuously expanded and our national security has been comprehensively strengthened. The comprehensive national security concept is a major innovation in our Party's theory on national security, which is of great pioneering significance, and must be thoroughly studied, systematically understood, comprehensively implemented, and continuously enriched and developed.
 
On April 15, 2022, on the occasion of the eighth anniversary of the introduction of the concept of comprehensive national security, the Study Outline of the Overall National Security Concept (hereafter referred to as the "Outline"), compiled by  the Propaganda Department of the CCP Central Committee and the Office of the Central National Security Committee, was published and distributed, following the measures stipulated by the CCP Central Committee.  This is a great and happy event in the new journey of China’s national security enterprise, which not only sends a "timely rain" to further strengthen national security awareness throughout society at large, but also sends an "east wind" to accelerate the construction of a top-level course of study 一级学科of national security.
　
We must persist in studying the comprehensive national security concept, and strengthen our confidence and strategic awareness of the path of comprehensive national security in the new era.  Direction decides path, path decides destiny, and the path of national security with Chinese characteristics is the concrete manifestation of the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics in terms of national security.  This includes five important characteristics, which are the same as the “five adherences:”[2]  first, we adhere to the absolute leadership of the Party, improve the centralized, unified, efficient and authoritative leadership system for national security work, and realize the unity of political security, people's security, and national interests. The Party's leadership is the most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics, it is the greatest advantage of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and national security work must adhere to the absolute leadership of the Party.  Political security is the foundation, the people's security is the mission, the supremacy of the national interest is the principle, and adhering to the organic unity of the three is the ideological essence of the comprehensive national security concept, as well as the key to achieving long-term peace.
 
Second, we adhere to the principle of safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and maintaining the stability and order of our borders, borderlands, and peripheral zones.[3]  The security of our national territory is always the top priority of our national security, meaning that “we are responsible and will fight for every inch of that territory.” 
 
Third, we adhere to the development of security, and seek to promote a dynamic balance between high-quality development and a high level of security. The "Proposal of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Formulating the Fourteenth Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development and the Long-Term Goals for 2035" adopted by the Fifth Plenary Session of the Nineteenth Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, held in October, 2020, included comprehensive development and security in the "14th Five-Year Plan" for the first time, and included a special chapter on strategic deployment, highlighting the importance of national security in the comprehensive work of the Party and the State.
 
Fourth, we adhere to the concept of comprehensive war, and aim to integrate traditional and non-traditional notions of security. In the face of the interconnections between traditional and non-traditional security risks, the increasingly fierce competition between major powers, and the increasingly prominent global challenges, the comprehensive national security concept should be implemented, and "total warfare" thinking should be applied so as coordinate responses to traditional and non-traditional security challenges, ensuring that responses to traditional security challenges are all the more proactive, and that responses to non-traditional security challenges keep pace with the times.
 
Fifth, we adhere to the path of peaceful development, and promote the coordination of our own security and the world’s common security. The external presentation of the national security path with Chinese characteristics is the path of peaceful development. China insists on coordinating its own security with world security, opposes the idea of the "great power as hegemon," and is committed to helping the world.
 
We must systematically and deeply grasp the core meaning of the comprehensive national security concept, and master the theoretical weapons enabling us to cope with changes and reduce risks. The comprehensive national security concept, with the "ten adherences"[4] as its core meaning, is a national security theory with Chinese characteristics in which General Secretary Xi Jinping has profoundly summarized the lessons of Chinese and foreign history.  He has personally created and continuously promoted its improvement in the new era, lending it powerful vitality and incomparable superiority. 

The year 2022 is the eighth anniversary of the introduction of the comprehensive national security concept, and in the second half of this year, the 20th Party Congress will be held.  China has entered a new journey in its efforts to build a comprehensive socialist modern state, and the brilliant achievements of national security work in the new era are obvious to all. At the same time, in the face of the historic changes in national security accompanying the unprecedented changes occurring in the world, the severe risks and challenges brought about by the turbulent and changing external environment, and the transformation and upgrading of China’s high-quality economic and social development in her new stage of development, we urgently need to strengthen the theoretical literacy and methodological guidance of the comprehensive national security concept, to firmly follow the path of national security with Chinese characteristics, to effectively coordinate development and security, and to accelerate the construction of a new security setup that is compatible with the new development pattern. The publication of the "Outline" can be said to have emerged at the right time, and it will definitely guide our practice, help us respond to changes, and create the new era. 
 
To understand and implement the concept of comprehensive national security, we must forge a strong will and spiritual character that dares to struggle and is good at struggling. From  “adhering to the national security path with Chinese characteristics, we must carry out a great struggle" to "resolutely winning the people's war to control and prevent the coronavirus epidemic, which is a comprehensive war, a war to block the disease;” from "resolutely winning the ideological struggle" to "persisting in putting the prevention and resolution of national security risks in a prominent position,"[5] what the Outline reflects throughout is the fighting spirit of the national security cause in the new era and on its new journey, because the basic characteristic of national security work is struggle. 

On July 1, 2021, General Secretary Xi Jinping, in his speech at the conference celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, clearly put forward the "nine imperatives"[6] for the new journey of "learning from history and creating the future," the seventh of which is "we must carry out a great struggle with many new historical characteristics."  The “Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on the Major Achievements and Historical Experience of the Party's Centennial Struggle,” adopted at the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th CCP Central Committee in November 2021, summarized the historical experience of the Party's century-long struggle, and included the idea of "persisting to dare to struggle," and emphasizing that daring to struggle and daring to win make up the invincible and powerful spiritual force of the Party and the people, and that as long as we grasp the historical characteristics of the new great struggle, carry forward the spirit of struggle, enhance the skills of struggle, and gather the will and strength of the entire Party and the people, we will be able to overcome all foreseeable and unforeseeable risks and challenges.
 
We must persist in promoting common international security, and demonstrate China's responsibility as a major country and China’s concern for the world. In late February of this year, the Russia-Ukraine conflict suddenly erupted, great power rivalry and geopolitical jockeying significantly increased, and the international security environment became volatile and changeable.  In contrast to the irresponsible way in which the US and the West have ganged up, which only adds fuel to the fire, China insists on mediation and talks, and advocates paying attention to the reasonable security concerns of all countries, and the concept "global security" has become a frequently used word in China's response to current regional hotspots and international crises. 

The comprehensive national security concept attaches importance both to China’s own security and the common security of the world, and is committed to building a community of destiny and persuading all parties to move towards the goal of mutual benefits and common security.  The comprehensive national security concept affords attention both to China and the world, the focus in China being the people, the focus outside being China’s responsibility to the world.  The comprehensive national security concept promotes the establishment of a "common, comprehensive, collaborative, and sustainable" global security concept, seeking not only China's security, but also the security of all countries living together in peace and mutual assistance.  The "global security concept" will help to resolve what is known as the "security dilemma" in Western international security theories, because it abandons the zero-sum thinking of "I win, you lose" and the hegemonic mentality of "me first," and promotes the inclusive wisdom of win-win cooperation and the equal spirit of universal security. 

China’s words match its deeds, and it consistently advocates the peaceful settlement of international disputes, promotes the building of a new type of international relations with win-win cooperation and a community of human destiny with universal security, adheres to multilateralism and the principle of "building and sharing together," strives to maintain the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order based on international law, and is committed to strengthening international security cooperation, improving the global security governance system and jointly addressing global challenges.
 
We must continuously enrich and develop the comprehensive national security concept so as to achieve continuous innovation and advances [lit. “leaps” 飞跃] in the Party's national security theory.  The Outline is a comprehensive and accurate presentation of General Secretary Xi Jinping's theoretical thinking on and strategic draft of China's national security enterprise in the new era. The structure of the book is based on the "ten adherences" proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping at the 26th collective study of the Central Political Bureau, and is made up of nine chapters, in which chapters two through nine represent a general deepening and partial reworking of the "ten adherences," the partial reworking combining the ninth and tenth “adherence” into the first “adherence.” 

The Outline comprehensively lays out the "nine aspects" of national security in the new era, including strategic position, basic guarantee, path choice, fundamental perspective, vital needs, lifeline, main battlefield, central task, and great power role, thus comprehensively covering the importance of national security, Party leadership, the national security path with Chinese characteristics, the people's security, integrated development and security, political security, security in various fields, risk prevention, international common security and nine other aspects, reflecting the high degree of unity between theory and practice, thought and work, strategy and tactics, inheritance and innovation in the comprehensive national security concept.
 
On April 14, 2021, with the approval of the Central Propaganda Department, the Comprehensive National Security Concept Research Center was officially established. The secretariat of the center is located in the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations. The center is positioned to create a "theoretical high ground," a “propaganda position,” and a “talent foundation” for research on the comprehensive national security concept. 

Over the course of the past year, with the kind attention of leaders at all levels and with strong support from people from all walks of life, the Center has taken the comprehensive national security concept as its guide, promoted theoretical research, strategic research, and ideological propaganda on national security, and at the same time relied on the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations to put together a top-level doctoral program in national security studies, founded the bimonthly journal “National Security Research,” and steadily expanded its think-tank influence, social influence and international influence in the field of national security research.  Moving forward, the Center will take the study, research and propagation of the “Outline” as its responsibility, and will continue to strive to lead China's national security theory and strategy research, and make new contributions to accompany the new journey of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Notes

[1]袁鹏, “新时代维护和塑造国家安全的根本遵循——学习’总体国家安全观学习纲要,’” People’s Daily, April 26, 2022.

[2]Translator’s note:  Sometimes translated as the “five insistences,” Xi Jinping first articulated them in May 2014 in commenting on the work of the General Office of the CCP.  They include:  "adhering to absolute loyalty in terms of political character, adhering to a highly conscious awareness of the overall situation, adhering to an extremely responsible work style, adhering to the spirit of dedication without complaint, and adhering to an ethical conduct of integrity and self-discipline.”

[3]Translator’s note:  Yuan uses the terms bianjiang 边疆, bianjing 边境, and zhoubian 周边, which he also refers to as the “three bian 三边,” which seems to me untranslatable.  I assume Yuan means the formal territorial borders, as well as the territories on either side of those borders.

[4]Translator’s note:  The “ten adherences” were announced on November 11, 2021, and consist of adherence to:  Party leadership, the supremacy of the people, theoretical innovation, independence and autonomy, the Chinese path, concern for the world, creation and innovation, daring to struggle, upholding the united front, and self-revolution.

[5]Translator’s note:  These are all quotes taken from the Outline, and to my eyes, the Chinese reads as awkwardly as the English.

[6]Translator’s note:  “We must adhere to the resolute leadership of the Communist Party of China.  We must unite and lead the Chinese people in their continuous struggle for a better life.  We must continue to promote the sinicization of Marxism.  We must adhere to and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics.  We must accelerate the modernization of the national defense and military.  We must continue to promote the building of a community of common destiny.  We must carry out the great struggle with many new historical characteristics.  We must strengthen the unity of the Chinese people.  We must continuously promote the new great project of Party construction.”