The Party’s work style is its very image; it affects the hearts and minds of the people and determines the success or failure of the Party and the country’s undertakings. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, “Starting with improving work style to advance comprehensive and strict governance of the Party is an important lesson learned from the Party’s self-revolution in the new era.” Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, the Party Central Committee—with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core—has taken the formulation and implementation of the Central Government’s Eight-Point Regulation as its starting point, adhering to a top-down approach and setting an example from the top down, thereby resolving the questions of what to focus on and how to carry out work style development under the new circumstances. As soon as the Eight-Point Regulation was put into effect, the entire effort to improve work style came alive, the Party’s conduct and government conduct were completely renewed, and social customs and public morale continued to improve. By demonstrating a fresh look in work style development, our Party has won the trust and support of the people.

National security is the foundation for national rejuvenation, and social stability is the prerequisite for a strong nation. As we embark on a new journey toward Chinese-style modernization, ensuring effective national security work hinges critically on the Party. We must firmly uphold the Party’s absolute leadership over national security efforts, keep all risks that could potentially undermine national security within our purview, integrate the safeguarding of national security into every aspect and throughout the entire process of the Party and state’s work, and thereby ensure both national security and social stability.

First, upholding the Party’s absolute leadership over national security work is the fundamental guarantee for China’s modernization to proceed steadily and achieve long-term success.

The leadership of the Communist Party of China is the most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the greatest advantage of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics, and the fundamental political guarantee for maintaining the long-term stability and security of the country. Promoting Chinese-style modernization is an unprecedented, pioneering endeavor—a mission of supreme honor and immense responsibility. It will inevitably encounter various risks and challenges, both foreseeable and unforeseeable, as well as daunting obstacles and even stormy seas. Only by persistently and tirelessly waging a great struggle marked by many new historical features under the strong leadership of the Party can we hope to achieve this goal.

At present, the world is undergoing a major shift unseen in a century at an accelerated pace, and humanity has entered a new period of profound turbulence and transformation. Changes in the world, in our times, and in history are continuously expanding in both breadth and depth, presenting human society with unprecedented challenges. China’s development has entered a phase characterized by both strategic opportunities and mounting risks and uncertainties, where “black swan” and “gray rhino” events could occur at any time. Correspondingly, national security has seen its strategic status significantly elevated within the Party Central Committee’s overall work agenda. For the first time, the report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China explicitly positioned national security as an independent component for planning and elaboration. From the strategic perspective of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, the report assigned national security a brand-new role: “National security is the foundation for national rejuvenation, and social stability is the prerequisite for national strength.” This reflects the strategic importance and critical role of building a new security framework within the Party Central Committee’s overarching work agenda, highlighting the fundamental significance of ensuring national security for realizing the great cause of national rejuvenation. The Decision adopted by the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee—the “Decision of the CPC Central Committee on Further Deepening Comprehensive Reform and Promoting Chinese-style Modernization”—explicitly calls for advancing the modernization of the national security system and capabilities, achieving a virtuous cycle of high-quality development and high-level security, and effectively safeguarding the long-term stability and prosperity of the country.

From a historical perspective, today we are closer than at any other point in history to achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation—and we have greater confidence and capability than ever before to do so. After more than a century of unremitting struggle, our Party has grown from its founding membership of just over 50 to become today the world’s largest ruling party, with over 99 million members, leading a country of more than 1.4 billion people and wielding significant global influence. Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, Party building has continued to deepen and advance steadily. We have established Comrade Xi Jinping’s position as the core of the Party Central Committee and the entire Party; we have affirmed the guiding status of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. The Party’s leadership system has been continuously improved, and its leadership approaches have become increasingly scientific. As a result, the Party’s political leadership, ideological guidance, capacity to organize the masses, and ability to rally society have all been significantly strengthened. For a developing country as vast and populous as China, with diverse interests among various social groups, and facing an increasingly complex international security environment, embarking on this great new journey requires us to firmly uphold the leadership of the Party’s core—whose role has been tested by history, proven in practice, and honed through struggles—and to rely on the leadership of the Communist Party of China, which has been forged over a century, is highly mature and accomplished, and is strong and resilient. The Party’s absolute leadership over national security work is the fundamental guarantee for safeguarding national security and social stability in the process of Chinese-style modernization. It is also the powerful confidence and political advantage that enables the Chinese people to overcome all difficulties and obstacles, confront all uncertainties, and realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

II. The Party’s leadership over national security work has been comprehensively strengthened in the new era.

Upholding the Party’s absolute leadership over national security work is, in essence, a concentrated manifestation of upholding and strengthening the Party’s overall leadership in the field of national security, and it also serves as the fundamental principle for doing well in national security work. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, in the face of new changes in economic and social conditions as well as in the international political and economic order, Chinese communists have actively explored and boldly advanced, continuously deepening their understanding of the underlying principles governing national security work, and constantly promoting both theoretical and practical innovation. As a result, the Party’s leadership over national security work has been comprehensively strengthened.

The Party has achieved a historic transformation in its leadership and institutional mechanisms for national security work. At the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee, the Party announced the establishment of the Central National Security Commission, which, guided by the principles of centralized and unified leadership, scientific planning, integration of centralized and decentralized approaches, coordinated action, and lean efficiency, is tasked with the unified leadership and deployment of national security efforts. In 2018, the Central National Security Commission reviewed and adopted the "Regulations on the Responsibility System for National Security within Party Committees (Party Groups)," clearly defining the primary responsibility of Party committees (Party groups) at all levels to safeguard national security and establishing a sound responsibility system for national security work under the unified leadership of Party committees. The centralized, unified, authoritative, and efficient national security leadership system has been effectively improved, significantly enhancing both the capacity for managing national security affairs and the efficiency of responding to security challenges.

The Party’s theoretical innovation in the field of national security has reached a new height. Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, the Party Central Committee—with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core—has responded to the major trends of our times and, from the strategic perspective of upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era, creatively proposed the Overall National Security Concept in 2014. This concept has given rise to a systematic and comprehensive theory of national security, marking a new high point in our Party’s understanding of the fundamental laws governing national security. Over the past decade and more, the Overall National Security Concept has continued to be enriched and developed in practice, now covering such fields as politics, military affairs, territorial integrity, economy, culture, society, science and technology, cyberspace, and ecology. It has become an important component of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, serving as the fundamental guiding principle and action guide for national security work in the new era.

Breakthrough progress has been made in building the national security system and capacity. A series of laws and regulations, including the National Security Law of the People’s Republic of China, the Anti-Terrorism Law of the People’s Republic of China, the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Administration of Activities within China by Foreign Non-Governmental Organizations, the Cybersecurity Law of the People’s Republic of China, and the National Intelligence Law of the People’s Republic of China, have been promulgated one after another, gradually perfecting a legal and institutional framework for national security with Chinese characteristics. Strategic documents on national security, such as the Outline of the National Security Strategy and the National Security Strategy (2021–2025), have been reviewed and adopted, further clarifying the guiding principles, medium- and long-term objectives, and key areas of national security policy. The overall coordination and integration of various security efforts have been comprehensively strengthened. A series of institutional mechanisms—including mechanisms for coordinating national security work, risk assessment mechanisms, review and regulatory systems, crisis management systems, decision-making advisory mechanisms, inter-departmental consultation mechanisms, supervision and accountability mechanisms, and support systems—have been progressively established and improved, significantly enhancing the overall effectiveness of national security work. Under the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, national security has been comprehensively strengthened, successfully withstanding risks and challenges from political, economic, ideological, and other fronts. As a result, social stability has been maintained over the long term, and the people’s sense of gain, happiness, and security has been greatly enhanced.

III. Firmly and unswervingly ensure that the Party’s leadership over national security work is effectively implemented.

To better address the array of new issues and challenges facing national security, it is essential to adopt a multifaceted approach and further ground the Party’s leadership over national security work in concrete actions.

Uphold the Party’s central role as the overarching leader and coordinator of all parties in national security work. Deeply grasp the decisive significance of the “Two Establishments,” consciously strengthen the “Four Consciousnesses,” firmly uphold the “Four Confidences,” and resolutely practice the “Two Safeguards,” thereby consistently ensuring the correct political direction of national security efforts and fully leveraging the Party’s pivotal role as the overarching leader and coordinator of all parties in the practice of national security with Chinese characteristics. Firmly establish a sense of the bigger picture in safeguarding national security, reinforce the principal responsibility of safeguarding national security, and ensure that Party committee (Party group) secretaries assume their primary responsibility. Improve the accountability system for national security work under the unified leadership of Party committees, strictly enforce supervision and accountability, and firmly shoulder political responsibilities—taking full responsibility for one’s own territory, being accountable for one’s territory, and fulfilling one’s duties to the fullest extent. Fully bring into play the exemplary and leading role of Party member cadres, mobilizing and uniting forces from all regions, departments, and sectors, rallying everyone’s hearts and minds, promoting coordinated collaboration, and forging a powerful synergy for building a new security framework.

We must uphold the organic unity of safeguarding people’s security, political security, and national interests above all else. Taking people’s security as our guiding principle, political security as our foundation, economic security as our basis, military, technological, cultural, and social security as our safeguards, and the promotion of international security as our support, we should coordinate external and internal security, territorial security and citizen security, traditional security and non-traditional security, as well as our own security and common security. On strategic and fundamental issues concerning the banner, direction, and path forward, we must always maintain strategic clarity and unwavering resolve, with a particular focus on preventing and controlling systemic risks that could slow down or disrupt the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. We oppose defining major-power relations through the lens of competition and confrontation, and instead adopt a constructive approach to managing differences and sensitive issues, thus avoiding plunging into the abyss of great-power conflict and confrontation. However, regarding China’s core interests and major concerns, we must reserve the option of taking all necessary measures to ensure that China’s sovereignty, development, and security are firmly protected—effectively installing a “safety valve” for these vital interests.

Uphold the virtuous interaction between high-quality development and high-level security. Firmly implement the development philosophy centered on the people, ensuring and improving people’s livelihoods in the course of development, enhancing their well-being, and raising their quality of life. Build a high-standard socialist market economic system, unswervingly consolidate and develop the public ownership economy, and unswervingly encourage, support, and guide the development of the non-public sector. Persist in focusing on the real economy as the mainstay of economic development, consolidate the leading position of advantageous industries, accelerate filling gaps in areas critical to security and development, and enhance our capacity to ensure the supply of strategic resources. Strengthen the construction of risk monitoring and early-warning systems as well as security assurance systems for key sectors including the economy, major infrastructure, finance, cyberspace, data, biology, resources, nuclear energy, space, and oceans. Enhance security capabilities in priority areas, and ensure the security of food, energy resources, and critical industrial and supply chains. Guided by national strategic needs, pool our strengths to tackle original and pioneering scientific and technological challenges, and resolutely win the battle to master critical core technologies.

We must steadfastly enhance the capacity and competence of Party members and cadres in safeguarding national security. We should guide Party members and cadres to gain insights into underlying principles, clarify directions, learn effective methods, and cultivate wisdom from the Party’s innovative theories, truly mastering the essential skills needed to identify and defuse risks. Placing the maintenance of political security and the enhancement of political capability at the forefront, we must focus on preventing political risks, fostering a healthy political environment, and consolidating the political foundation. We must always remain vigilant even in times of peace, maintaining a keen awareness of potential risks—being highly alert to “black swan” events while also proactively guarding against “gray rhino” events. We need both preemptive measures to guard against risks, ensuring preparedness and eliminating uncertainties, as well as sophisticated strategies for responding to and resolving risk challenges. We must fight both well-prepared battles to prevent and resist risks and proactive strategic campaigns to turn risks into opportunities and transform crises into chances. With the caution of walking on thin ice and a sense of responsibility that never lets us rest easy, we must actively and proactively prevent and resolve all kinds of risks. We must strengthen our rule-of-law thinking, solidify legal safeguards, and continuously improve our ability to use science and technology to safeguard national security and proactively shape the national security landscape.