Chen Zhimin, China’s Vice Minister for Public Security until 2017 and currently a member of the
CPPCC, was quoted by South China Morning Post (October 21) as telling a panel organised by the
Beijing-backed Boao Forum in Changsha, Hunan province, on October 18 that “In the face of
challenges, countries need to establish a concept of mutual security. [Nations should] agree to share
intelligence, rules, education and experiences – including hi-tech and big data components – on
security matters, in order to achieve a new model of global development.” The South China Morning
Post added that China’s latest five-year plan identified “protecting the rights and interests of Chinese
overseas investments” as a key goal to ensure national “economic security”, acknowledging that
there were increasing risks and uncertainties regarding the safety of China’s wide range of overseas
projects under its Belt and Road Initiative. Lu Wei, an expert at Zhongan Security Services, a
government-backed company that was among the first to provide security training and protection
for Chinese investment overseas, was quoted as telling Beijing Youth Daily it was clear that the belt
and road scheme had been facing bigger security threats due to rising global terrorism threats and
growing negative impressions about China. “There needs to be speedy legislation on protecting
overseas investment, so there can be legal grounds for taking action. Secondly, there needs to be a
government-level warning mechanism that issues alerts, guidance, and emergency response
protocols for any huge security risk, in order to minimise the loss of life and financial costs related
to overseas Chinese investments. Thirdly, there needs to be a functioning international cooperation
mechanism with the investment recipient country, as their public security abilities are always critical
to the safety of Chinese-funded projects.”
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