ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on four institutional trends in the public security system that shape how China copes with the challenges of a changing, increasingly restive society. These institutional trends are: strengthening basic-level police forces; strengthening special police forces; strengthening political security work at home and abroad; and dealing with the rise of non-police security forces. The People's Armed Police has a complex, multi-layered leadership and command system with joint leadership by China's State Council and Central Military Commission at the top. The organizational leadership system of the public security forces should be contrasted with some other important Chinese internal security organizations with which the public security departments must frequently interact. The conference spotlighted key internal security challenges, including dealing with globalization, rising social inequality, disadvantaged groups, unrest, ethnic and religious 'extremism', 'cults', terrorism and the 'colour revolutions' that had recently occurred in several Eurasian countries.
