Jia Qingguo: Reflections on the characteristics of national security and the principles of governance
Author: Jia Qingguo, Member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Professor of the School of International Relations of Peking University, Director of the Research Base of Humanities Exchanges between China and Foreign Countries at Peking University
Source: International Security Studies, No. 1, 2022
WeChat platform editor: Zhou Yue
In recent years, countries around the world have paid more and more attention to national security issues and placed it in an increasingly important position in national governance, and China is no exception. However, many people still have a big deviation in their understanding of national security, which is mainly manifested in either talking about national security in a general and abstract way, or only paying attention to a certain aspect of national security, and there is not much systematic discussion on the issues involved in national security, even if those few discussions are not comprehensive and in-depth. To effectively carry out national security governance, it is necessary to comprehensively, systematically and deeply clarify the connotation and extension of the concept of "national security", as well as the relationship between national security and other values, and explore the principles and paths of national security governance on this basis. National security is a concept with extremely rich connotations, with multi-faceted, related, variable, relativistic, non-unique, subjective and social characteristics, in-depth study and grasp of national security must have an overall security thinking, from the perspective of overall security to comprehensively examine the challenges we face, learn from Chinese and foreign historical experience and lessons, and on this basis to seriously deal with it. Therefore, the path selection of national security governance should at least follow the principles of overallity, comprehensiveness, consideration, moderation, balance, homeopathy and cooperation.
【Keywords】Overall national security concept; national security; security governance; governance path; security characteristics; security principles
In recent years, countries around the world have paid more and more attention to security issues, and many countries have placed security in an important position in the national governance system. The Communist Party of China and state leaders attach great importance to security issues and have repeatedly stressed the need to enhance security awareness, especially the need to continue to increase the intensity of safeguarding national security under the new historical conditions. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "At present, the connotation and extension of China's national security are richer than at any time in history, the field of time and space is broader than at any time in history, and internal and external factors are more complex than at any time in history, we must adhere to the overall concept of national security, take people's security as the purpose, take political security as the foundation, take economic security as the foundation, take military, cultural and social security as the guarantee, and rely on promoting international security to embark on a national security path with Chinese characteristics." In order to coordinate and strengthen national security work, the CPC Central Committee has specially established the Central National Security Committee, and the National People's Congress has deliberated and adopted the new "National Security Law of the People's Republic of China," as well as a series of laws, including the Counter-Espionage Law of the People's Republic of China, the Counterterrorism Law of the People's Republic of China, the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Management of Foreign Non-Governmental Organizations' Activities within the Territory of foreign NgOs, the Cybersecurity Law of the People's Republic of China, and the National Intelligence Law of the People's Republic of China.
However, at present, there are still major deviations in many people's understanding and concern about national security, which is mainly manifested in the fact that they either talk about national security in a general and abstract way, or only pay attention to a certain aspect of national security, and there is not much and in-depth discussion on the connotation of national security, the multiple characteristics of national security, and the relationship between national security and other value pursuits. However, effectively engaging in national security governance requires a comprehensive, systematic and in-depth clarification of the concept of "national security" and the relationship between national security and other values, and on this basis, in-depth exploration of the way of national security governance. Therefore, this paper attempts to analyze the concept, connotation, basic characteristics, and governance principles and paths of national security from this perspective, in order to continue to promote the relevant discussion on this issue.
I. National security and the overall concept of national security
The Modern Chinese Dictionary defines "safety" as "no danger; peace." This definition is more of an objective phenomenon of security, that is, security is an objective existence. In fact, real-life security includes not only the absence of real dangers and threats, but also the absence of people's sense of danger and threat. In 2015, the National Security Law of the People's Republic of China was promulgated, and Chinese officials defined "national security" in the form of laws: "National security refers to the state power, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, people's well-being, sustainable economic and social development and other major interests of the country in a state of relative freedom from danger and internal and external threats, and the ability to ensure a sustained state of security." ”
The "overall national security concept" put forward by General Secretary Xi Jinping is to understand and grasp the epistemology and methodology of national security issues from the perspective of overall security. The "total" here is comprehensive and holistic. The so-called "comprehensive" means that when thinking about national security issues, we must take into account all levels and all fields of national security; the so-called "whole" means that when thinking about national security issues, we must treat national security as a whole, determine the position and weight of each field of national security according to the national security strategic objectives in a specific period, and achieve the national security strategic objectives by coordinating and coordinating the needs of various security fields. The overall national security concept is to think about and grasp security issues from a comprehensive and holistic perspective and to safeguard national security to the greatest extent.
The reason why we say that we want to maximize the maintenance of national security is because absolute security does not exist in real life, and it is impossible to completely eliminate threats and the feeling of threats. Personally, there is no absolute security. For example, for personal safety, individuals can not take any transportation, or even go out of the house, but still can not completely eliminate security risks, such as unable to completely avoid the threats that may be brought about by unexpected events such as lightning, earthquakes, fires, and diseases. In the same way, in any case, it is impossible for a state to achieve absolute security, much less to completely eliminate the sense of danger at the subjective level. Therefore, Article 2 of Chapter I of the National Security Law of the People's Republic of China specifically emphasizes that "it is relatively in a state of no danger and no internal and external threats", and the goal of maintaining national security can only minimize the threat and reduce the sense of danger.
Ii. The basic characteristics of national security
National security is a concept with extremely rich connotation and extension, which should at least include seven characteristics: multi-faceted, related, variable, relativistic, non-unique, subjective and social.
(1) National security is multifaceted
The multi-faceted nature of national security mainly refers to the many fields it involves, from domestic security risks to international security risks, from military security risks to non-military security risks, from traditional security risks to non-traditional security risks, from local security risks to overall security risks, from offline security risks to online security risks, from short-term security risks to long-term security risks, from relative security risks to absolute security risks, etc., "covering political, military, territorial, economic, cultural, social, scientific and technological, network, ecological, resource, nuclear, etc." Overseas interests, space, deep sea, polar regions, biology and many other fields." In this sense, we live in all kinds of security risks at all times.
(2) National security is relevant
The relevance of national security mainly refers to the interrelatedness and interaction of different security fields, which are mainly manifested in the following aspects:
1. Political security and economic security are interrelated and interact with each other
Political security issues can lead to economic security issues, and economic security issues can also lead to political security issues. The former, such as the upheaval in the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, exacerbated by the rapid economic decline caused by the continued political turmoil in the Soviet Union, which ultimately led to the collapse of the Soviet Union. The latter, such as the economic collapse of Indonesia triggered by the Asian financial crisis in 1997, directly led to political turmoil in the country, which eventually led to the collapse of the Suharto regime that ruled Indonesia for decades due to the spiral of political instability.
2. Political and territorial security are interrelated and interact with each other
Political security issues can lead to territorial security issues, and territorial security issues can also give rise to political security issues. The former, such as the collapse of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia in the 1990s, both stemmed from the intensification and eventual outbreak of domestic political problems. The latter, such as the problem of Crimea caused by Ukraine, Russia's annexation of Crimea through a referendum poses considerable political challenges to Ukraine: on the one hand, if it fights against the powerful Russia, it will inevitably consume a lot of Resources of Ukraine, and there is almost no chance of victory, and even lead to worse situations; on the other hand, if there is no resistance to Russia, then the Ukrainian ruling class will not be able to account for it at home, which will trigger strong opposition from radical patriotic groups at home. It has even led to unrest and regime change at the domestic political level.
3. Economic security and military security are interrelated and interact with each other
If a country does not have a solid economic foundation, it will not be able to establish and maintain a strong army, and it will not be able to effectively safeguard national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity; In the early 1980s, China had just emerged from the decade-long catastrophe of the Cultural Revolution. One of the conundrums facing the Chinese government at the time was whether the extremely limited resources in its hands were more used to develop the economy or to consolidate national defense. The Chinese government ultimately chose the former. In the view of Deng Xiaoping, the Chinese leader at the time, china could only build a strong military if it developed a strong economy, and that improving national defense capabilities could provide a tangible and sustainable security guarantee for China's economic development. On June 4, 1985, Deng Xiaoping pointed out in his speech at the enlarged meeting of the Central Military Commission: "Everyone is very concerned about the building of the army and the modernization of the army's equipment, and this issue also involves the overall situation. Of the four modernizations, one of them is the modernization of national defense. If we do not carry out national defense modernization, will there be only three modernizations? However, the four modernizations must always have a first and a second. The real modernization of the army's equipment can only be possible if the national economy has established a relatively good foundation. So, we have to be patient for a few years. I think that by the end of this century we will definitely exceed the goal of quadrupling, and by that time we will have a strong economic strength, and we will be able to come up with more money to update the equipment. Decades have passed, and it turns out that the Chinese government made the right choice at the time. It is precisely because of this choice that China can quickly have a strong and prosperous economy, and it is also possible to build a strong people's army by continuously increasing investment in national defense after this, so as to effectively safeguard the country's military security, and China's economic security has a more solid and powerful guarantee.
4. Non-traditional security and traditional security are interrelated and interact with each other
The subversive challenge of terrorism to national security has largely changed the situation in the past when the military threat faced by countries came mainly from armed invasion by other countries. For example, the attack on the United States by the international terrorist forces in the 9/11 incident once made the United States feel a huge threat, and even regarded counter-terrorism as the first priority to safeguard national security. Because terrorists are hidden among the population and scattered around the world, the powerful military force of the United States is overwhelmed by the threat of terrorism and finally has to rely more on some unconventional means to deal with it. Although the United States now increasingly views China as a "threat," the threat posed by terrorism to U.S. security remains and cannot be taken lightly, as exemplified by the recent U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. China also faces the threat of terrorism, and in previous years, terrorist attacks have also caused serious distress to China's national security, and the Chinese government has had to take measures to deal with it. This is also reflected in many other countries.
Other types of non-traditional security threats are also on the rise. The COVID-19 epidemic that has lasted since 2020 has spread rapidly around the world in a very short period of time, causing great harm to countries around the world. In terms of the number of illnesses and deaths, the damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to the world far exceeds the damage caused by medium- or even large-scale wars in general. According to reports, as of 11:00 Beijing time on December 8, 2021, the cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide has exceeded 267 million, and the number of deaths has exceeded 5.28 million. The number of deaths in the United States due to COVID-19 has reached 812,205, more than the total number of deaths in history in the United States in all wars, including the Civil War. Although China has taken timely and strong measures to control the epidemic, which has greatly reduced the harm that the epidemic may cause, 5 697 people have died from the epidemic, which is no less than the damage caused by a small and medium-scale war.
Table 1 Summary of COVID-19 worldwide (as of December 8, 2021)
| Country or region | Currently confirmed cases (person) | Cumulative Cure (Human) | Cumulative deaths (persons) | Cumulative confirmed cases (person) | Cure rate |
| China | 3 332 | 119 574 | 5 697 | 128 603 | 93.0% |
| United States | 9 715 064 | 39 742 867 | 812 205 | 50 270 136 | 79.1% |
| Overseas (including the United States) | 21 326 990 | 240 636 712 | 5 280 678 | 267 244 380 | 90.0% |
Source: Real-time Big Data Report on the Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia Epidemic, Baidu, https://voice.baidu.com/act/ newpneumonia/newpneumonia/?from=osari_aladin_banner. China data is compiled by Baidu on the basis of public data from the National Health Commission, provincial and municipal health commissions, provincial and municipal governments, and official channels from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan; foreign data is counted by Baidu on the basis of official reports by authoritative institutions (such as CCTV News, People's Daily, etc.), the World Health Organization and official notifications of various countries.
The recent issue of climate change, which has been of great concern to the international community, is becoming a new and more destructive non-traditional security threat. According to many expert projections, if the warming trend continues, it will cause global sea levels to rise. When sea levels rise beyond a certain limit, some island nations will cease to exist, and many coastal cities will be submerged or partially submerged; in some places the temperature will be extremely high, in others the temperature will be greatly reduced; in some places the rain will be severe, and in others there will be extreme drought and little rainfall. Sudden changes in climate may make it impossible for human beings to continue their original production patterns and lifestyles, and economic development will be seriously impacted, and no corner of the world will be spared the catastrophic consequences of climate change. Rising temperatures exacerbate environmental degradation, natural disasters, extreme weather, food and water insecurity, economic chaos, conflict and terrorism.
At the same time, traditional security issues exacerbate non-traditional security issues. Outbreaks of military conflict between countries can give rise to non-traditional security issues, such as environmental pollution, ecological destruction, outbreaks of infectious diseases, refugee problems and terrorism. The two world wars alone displaced tens of millions of people in Europe; the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the War in Afghanistan, the War in Iraq, and the wars in the Middle East after World War II have caused a large number of refugee problems. Studies have shown that the war waged by the United States abroad in the wake of 9/11 has resulted in the displacement and displacement of 38 million people. How to properly resettle these refugees has become a huge problem facing the international community. Military confrontation between major Powers can also seriously hamper international cooperation on non-traditional security issues, which were very difficult for the international community to cooperate in non-traditional security areas during the Cold War.
5. Internal and international security are interrelated and interact with each other
Domestic security issues lead to international security issues, and one of the most typical cases is Afghanistan before the 9/11 incident. Before the 9/11 incident, the Taliban regime's internal rule was out of control, and as a result, al-Qaida not only used Afghanistan as a base camp for training religious extremists, but also organized the 9/11 terrorist attacks against the United States in Afghanistan, which eventually led to the United States launching a war in Afghanistan, overthrowing the Taliban regime, and occupying Afghanistan for 20 years.
International security issues have led to domestic security issues, such as a series of "color revolutions" that broke out in Central Asia and Eastern Europe in the early 21st century, and then spread to the Middle East, South Asia and other regions, triggering political turmoil in many countries. In this process, many countries have not responded effectively to these threats because they are not fully aware that the changes in network and communication technology have greatly increased the impact of external ideology and public opinion on their own politics, and can strengthen the impact of political turmoil in other countries on their own politics. As a result, the domestic political situation in some countries is out of control, and in some countries, there is even a situation of government downfall and long-term civil strife.
6. Interrelatedness and interaction of local and overall security
Partial security refers to the part of security that a department or region is responsible for. On security issues, the goal of all departments and regions is to maintain national security, but their specific division of labor and responsibility on this issue is different. The main responsibility of the foreign service in safeguarding national security is to create a good international environment, which includes publicizing and explaining the country's principled positions and practices on different issues to win the understanding and support of the international community; maintaining smooth and effective communication channels with other countries, especially high-level communication channels, in order to deal with various problems existing with other countries in a timely and effective manner, and to effectively control possible crises. The main responsibility of the commerce department in safeguarding national security is to promote economic and trade relations with the outside world, to use foreign resources to promote national economic development, and to safeguard and protect the legitimate rights and interests of the state in economic and trade to the greatest extent. The main responsibility of the national defense department in safeguarding national security is to strengthen national defense construction, safeguard national territorial security, and protect the legitimate rights and interests of the state overseas. Local governments are responsible for complex security matters, including political, economic, social, educational and cultural affairs in their jurisdiction, but in general, unlike the central government, departments and regions are responsible for security within a department within the government or within a certain geographical area within the country. Overall security refers to the security of the country as a whole, covering the security affairs of all departments and regions.
While local and overall security are consistent in their fundamental objectives, in many cases different departments and regions will see problems from different perspectives and policy preferences due to different divisions of functions. In contrast, the foreign service is more focused on the consideration of national political and security interests, the commercial department is more focused on the consideration of national economic and security interests, and the defense department and local governments pay more attention to the national military security interests and the security interests of the region.
These differences in perspective on security often lead to contradictions or even conflicts in the policy-making process. For example, the need for diplomatic services to maintain good relations with other countries and ensure the smooth flow of communication channels usually tend to emphasize the consistency of interests in state relations and the necessity of safeguarding national interests through negotiation and consultation; the defense sector tends to emphasize the conflict in inter-state relations and the need to safeguard national interests by strengthening military strength and the need to safeguard national interests by enhancing and demonstrating strength. If there is a problem in the cooperation between the two, contradictions and conflicts will arise. This is precisely the phenomenon explained by the theory of bureaucratic politics in the study of international relations. Therefore, effectively safeguarding national security requires coordination and balance between policy preferences of different sectors, different regions and different levels at the central government level according to the needs of national interests at a specific time, rather than making either-or choices between them.
7. The interlinkages and interactions between short-term and long-term security
Economics is more concerned about the balance between short-term investment and long-term investment, believing that the two are often contradictory and conflicting, and excessive attention to short-term investment will lead to the so-called short-termism problem and bring harm to investors. In terms of security issues, all countries also face both short-term and long-term security problems, but coping with and defending against these two security risks often requires different approaches and inputs. Because short-term security risks are more obvious and have a more direct impact on the political interests of political leaders, many governments will choose to pay more attention to short-term security risks. It is normal and deserved to focus on short-term security risks, but it is not advisable to pay too much attention, especially and therefore ignore, long-term security risks. There are positive and negative experiences and lessons in history.
The first is a negative case: in the second half of the 20th century, in the face of the security threats of the United States and Western countries, the Soviet Union, proceeding from short-term security interests, chose to invest a large amount of human, financial and material resources into national defense construction, while ignoring economic development and the people's basic pursuit of life, thus sacrificing the long-term interests of the country's economic development, resulting in the Soviet Union's economic development lagging behind, and ultimately unable to support huge armament expenditures, but also made the Soviet people's living standards unmelted for a long time, the people complained, and the politics deviated from Germany. This practice of focusing on short-term interests at the expense of long-term interests greatly accelerated the political turmoil and disintegration of the Soviet Union.
The second is a positive case: at the end of the 1970s, the "Cultural Revolution" had just ended, and China faced the Soviet threat externally and various challenges internally. Under such circumstances, China has not chosen to increase investment in national defense construction to deal with short-term security threats, but has chosen to shift the focus of its work to the development strategy centered on economic construction, significantly increase investment in economic construction, and implement reform and opening up. Since then, with the Soviet threat easing, China has further chosen to disarm significantly and free up more resources for economic construction. This approach has ultimately led to sustained and rapid economic growth in China's economy, and has also enabled the Chinese government to have more resources for national defense construction, which has led to an unprecedented increase in China's military strength and a more solid guarantee for China's long-term national security interests. Facts have proved that to ensure national security, it is necessary to balance short-term interests and long-term interests, not only to take care of the present, but also to ensure the long term, so that national security can be sustainably guaranteed.
There are many more examples of the interconnections and interactions of the different security domains mentioned above. In short, the interconnection and interaction of different security areas is a major feature of national security.
(3) National security is volatile
The opportunities and risks that countries face in terms of security are not static, but, on the contrary, are always in a process of constant change due to various factors.
1. The international security environment is constantly changing
The changing international security environment has brought new challenges and opportunities to national security, especially when there are major changes in the international balance of forces. For example, after the end of the cold war, the bipolar pattern has shifted to a unipolar pattern, and this major change in the international pattern has brought new and tremendous challenges and opportunities to the security of all countries. For many developing countries, the end of the Cold War meant that the United States and the Soviet Union no longer valued them, and no longer co-opted and coerced them to take sides or even used them to fight proxy wars as they had done in the past because of the needs of the Cold War. On the one hand, this freed them from the pressure from the United States and the Soviet Union, and had new room for development, where they could develop themselves and carry out foreign relations in accordance with their own interests and aspirations; on the other hand, the end of the Cold War also brought them many new challenges. During the Cold War, in order to win over these developing countries, the United States and the Soviet Union did not hesitate to compete to provide them with all kinds of assistance, which objectively brought them a lot of foreign aid and development opportunities. With the end of the Cold War, these countries were left out in the cold, the resources available from the outside were drastically reduced, and economic and security risks rose. Especially in the period after the end of the cold war, African countries were increasingly marginalized, almost forgotten corners, and the gap with developed countries was getting wider and wider.
For rising powers, the end of the Cold War and the emergence of a unipolar pattern also meant new risks and challenges. In a bipolar or multipolar pattern, "polar" countries as superpowers will pay more attention to other "polar" countries that are closer to themselves, or other superpowers, than to rising countries. In this context, there will be more room for the existence and development of rising countries. However, in the unipolar pattern, the "pole" countries at this time have no other "pole" countries to pay attention to, so they will focus on the rising countries earlier and take corresponding measures to prevent or even contain them, which is very unfavorable to the rising countries. For example, in the early 1990s, when the United States became the only superpower in the international system, the United States identified emerging China as a potential strategic competitor, despite the wide power gap between China and the United States at that time.
In recent years, the international trend of "rising from the east to the west" has also brought new risks and opportunities to the security of all countries. In terms of risks, as the overall strength of the United States and the West declines, their ability and willingness to maintain the international order are also weakening, and the authority and coordination ability of the international organizations and international mechanisms they dominate are also weakening. In this context, the increase in regional and global challenges, highlighted by challenges to the international nuclear non-proliferation regime, the stalemate in the World Trade Organization negotiations, the inability of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, the constant questioning of the authority of the World Health Organization, and the rise of trade protectionism, nationalism and religious extremism, all pose huge risks and challenges to the security and development of rising countries such as China. In addition, partly due to its incompatibility and unwillingness to accept the "rise from the east and the west to descend," the United States has pursued a policy of confrontation and even hostility toward China, which to a certain extent has led to constant tension and deterioration in Sino-US relations, and the security risks facing the international community have also been escalating.
In terms of opportunities, the collective rise of emerging economies represented by China has brought great vitality to the world economy. China's Belt and Road Initiative has not only promoted the construction of infrastructure and economic development in countries along the route, but also helped these countries achieve long-term security and stability. Moreover, China and India, among the emerging economies, are themselves very populous countries, and their economic growth contributes to their own political stability and, to a large extent, to the stability and security of the entire world. While China and these countries are developing economically, their interests in the existing international order are also increasing, so they are increasingly eager to see the international order stable and strive to maintain it, which is also conducive to regional and world stability and security.
2. New challenges and opportunities facing the connotation and extension of national security
The changes in various fields of national security themselves have also brought new challenges and opportunities to the connotation and extension of national security, which are concentrated in the following aspects:
First, economic security. Historically, national security has been achieved to a large extent through the maintenance of territorial security and even the expansion of foreign territories, and economic self-sufficiency was once the goal pursued by the state. With the development of transportation and communication technologies and the increase in economic exchanges between countries, it has gradually been found that trade not only solves the problem of interconnection, but also contributes to the improvement of national economic efficiency, wealth growth and international status. Therefore, although foreign economic and trade exchanges mean economic dependence on foreign countries, which may affect national security, most countries realize that economic exchanges can not only bring rich economic benefits, but also enable the country to have more resources to invest in national defense construction, so as to better safeguard national security. Recent history shows that countries that are economically open to the outside world are far stronger and more secure than countries that are closed to themselves. In recent years, although everyone has paid more and more attention to the security risks brought about by globalization and taken various measures to prevent them, so far, few countries have really given up their foreign economic and trade relations and chosen to close themselves off.
The second is military security. For a long period of history, the main threat to national military security was external armed invasion, and border defense was the main means for most countries to maintain national military security. This has changed a lot since the end of World War II, especially since the end of the Cold War. The emergence of the atomic bomb made it impossible for the nuclear-weapon States to solve their problems through war, and economic globalization made it more economical and cost-effective to pursue national interests, national status and prestige through economic and trade relations than through military expansion. At the same time, the establishment of an international security order based on the universally accepted concept of territorial sovereignty has made the practice of changing borders through force a violation of international law and a target of public criticism. Any country, whether a superpower or an ordinary state, will invite international condemnation and sanctions, and even armed intervention, in the face of international condemnation and sanctions. In addition, non-traditional security risks have increased and gradually become one of the main threats to national security, and non-traditional security threats, including terrorism and cyber attacks, are increasingly becoming major challenges to national security.
The third is energy security. The energy security of modern countries has revolved around ensuring the production and transportation of coal and the production and transportation of oil and gas. In recent years, with the development and utilization of new energy, energy safety issues have been carried out around the research and development and application of new energy materials and technologies, and great changes have taken place during this period. The game around the production and supply of coal, oil and natural gas has long been a core element of international geopolitics, and the control of these traditional energy sources and transportation routes has become a focus of security and influence for major powers. In order to ensure energy supply, armed conflicts and wars have broken out among major powers on many occasions, most notably the German-French war and the conflicts and contests between the world's major powers over control of the Middle East after world war II. The emergence and application of new energy technology is breaking the international geopolitical pattern around the supply base and transportation routes of traditional energy, and the competition around the research and development and application of new energy materials and science and technology is increasingly becoming a concern for the country to ensure its own security, and has become a basic feature of the new international geopolitical pattern.
The fourth is the aspect of scientific and technological security. Historically, the development of science and technology is the foundation of a country's strength, and whoever masters the latest science and technology has a competitive advantage and obtains more security, which has different manifestations in different historical periods. The invention and application of iron tools not only greatly increased productivity, but also determined the level of national defense forces, becoming an important means for early countries to maintain economic security and military security. After that, the use of gunpowder and the research and development of various related weapons became an important starting point for safeguarding national security. In addition, the development of means of transportation and communication technology has greatly promoted the growth of national economic strength and the improvement of military capabilities, and has also made national security and international security increasingly closely linked.
In the era of nuclear weapons, the development and application of nuclear weapons and means of delivery have changed the nature and connotation of national military security, and the huge destructive power of nuclear weapons has led to major adjustments in the practice of nuclear countries in maintaining security. Since nuclear war means the destruction of both sides, no matter how hostile the nuclear-weapon States are, they cannot resort to force to solve the problem, but can only manage the conflict through negotiation and avoid war caused by accidents. Therefore, even if the Cold War confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union is sharp, in order to ensure survival, the two sides can only negotiate and sign a series of agreements to avoid misjudgment and disorderly competition leading to nuclear war. Under the influence of the United States and the Soviet Union, the international community accepted the nuclear non-proliferation mechanism, and the practice of safeguarding national security of all countries entered a new stage.
The emergence of the Internet, the Internet of Things and 5G technology has made countries face new challenges in maintaining security. In the era of the Internet of Things, the tentacles of technology have entered all aspects of people's work and life, and the development of 5G technology has made the flow of information almost uncontrollable, and the superposition of the two has brought more and more serious security risks to countries. In this case, countries must have a minimum level of trust to remain interconnected. However, there is often a lack of such trust among countries with different political systems, and how they interact in a secure manner is a growing concern.
Changes in the country's comprehensive strength have also brought new challenges and opportunities to national security. The rise of a country's own strength poses different opportunities and challenges to a country's security. In terms of opportunities, the rise in the country's position of power helps to strengthen its own ability to maintain security. In terms of challenges, the rise in national power will also change the balance of power with other countries, which may lead to other countries' fears and precautions about themselves, and if not handled well, it will also lead other countries to take measures against themselves, such as accelerating the development of armaments or alliances with other countries, so as to make themselves feel more insecure.
Similarly, as the rise of a great power enters a phase, the security risks they face are bound to change. The rise of national power will give countries more resources to maintain their own security, but the expansion of national interests overseas will also lead to the rising powers facing some security risks beyond ordinary countries: (1) the fears and precautions from the defending powers, that is, the risk of walking into the "Thucydides Trap"; (2) the incompatibility of other countries with their rise, which leads to the risk of worrying, preventing, and even jointly confronting them; (3) the risks brought about by the duality and contradiction of their own national interests in the transition period ;(4) Risks associated with one's new role in the international system.
Currently, the first and second risks are discussed more in academia and policy circles, but relatively less on the third and fourth risks. In terms of the third risk, the identity of the rising state is twofold in many ways. Identity determines interests, so the duality and contradiction of identity have led to the phenomenon of duality and contradiction in many aspects of the interests of rising countries. These two different interests are often contradictory, even conflicting. National interests determine foreign policy. The duality and contradiction of the national interests of rising countries determine the uncertainty of external behavior. For example, on climate issues, rising countries have both the interests of safeguarding the right to development and the interests of safeguarding national energy conservation and emission reduction, which determines that its policies and practices on climate issues are often contradictory and uncertain.
As far as the fourth risk is concerned, the ordinary country does not have the ability to shape the international security system, and the security risks it faces mainly come from changes in the international system and changes in the security policies of other major countries. But when ordinary powers rise, that starts to change. As national power grows and national interests expand outward, the security risks it faces come not only from changes in the international system and changes in the security policies of other major powers, but also from its own practices and capabilities to shape the international order.
Unlike ordinary large countries, due to the large size of superpowers, they cannot hitchhike, because once they "hitchhike", the "car" may collapse. The superpowers can only defend their own interests, including security interests, by preserving the international order. But the cost of maintaining the international order is extremely high, and no matter how powerful and resourced a country is, it may not be able to afford it. As the famous historian Paul Kennedy pointed out in his book The Rise and Fall of Great Powers, historically, the decline of great powers has not been due to defeat to rising powers, but because the cost of maintaining imperial or international order is too high.
Therefore, in order to solve this problem and prevent their own premature decline, the superpower must find a way to persuade other countries to cooperate with them to jointly maintain the international order and share the cost of maintaining the international order. This is also what the United States did after World War II. The United States has maintained and strengthened the international military alliance formed during World War II, established a set of international organizations and international mechanisms centered on the United Nations, and established various partnerships with some countries. Through these means, the United States tries to safeguard its own interests, especially its security interests, in the way of maintaining the international order at the lowest cost. The world in the more than seven decades after the war has experienced a series of major historical events such as the Cold War, the collapse of the Soviet Union, globalization, financial crisis, new scientific and technological revolution and the rise of China, but the United States is still the most powerful country in the world. However, the Soviet Union not only did not make good use of the resources of other countries to help it maintain the international order, but was consumed by some countries, including its own allies, with a lot of its own limited resources, and eventually went to the road of no return for the disintegration of the country. It can be seen that whether or not we can maintain the international order at the lowest cost and thus safeguard our own interests is a security challenge that rising powers must face.
(4) National security is relative
Security is never absolute, but relative. As mentioned earlier, absolute security does not exist, and at best it is a good wish. In addition, there is a diminishing marginal benefit in the economy, as well as in security. Therefore, the pursuit of security, if more than a certain limit, the cost will rise sharply, the benefit will also drop sharply, and the final gain will not be worth the loss. Therefore, ignoring the relativity of security and blindly pursuing absolute security, the result is that absolute security cannot be achieved, the cost cannot be borne, and the country may eventually be more insecure.
In terms of military security, the state can, to a certain extent, increase national defense investment, enhance the level of military science and technology, strengthen military training, and improve the military command and combat system, so as to enhance national defense capabilities and prevent external military risks. However, if the above practice exceeds a certain limit, it will exacerbate security risks, such as leading to vigilance and development of armaments by other countries, thus triggering an arms race. The arms race will not only offset the security and security that comes with the increase in armaments, but also make all the countries concerned more insecure, which is the so-called "security dilemma" often referred to in the theory of international relations.
In terms of economic security, the development of foreign economic and trade relations is a practice of national development and safeguarding national security from a long-term perspective. Such an approach itself would entail certain security risks, such as the possibility of economic sanctions imposed on other countries for political, security or economic reasons, the restriction of their investments in other countries, the withdrawal of investments by other Countries and the imposition of high tariffs on their exports, as well as restrictions on the export of patented technologies to their countries, including important equipment, components and raw materials, the so-called "card neck" products. Under such circumstances, if the country wants to pursue absolute security, it must cut off economic and trade relations and practice independence and self-reliance, because only by completely cutting off economic and trade relations can other countries not blackmail you and cannot jam your "neck."
However, not only is this unrealistic, but it also poses a greater security risk to the State. Because if a country does not have foreign economic and trade relations, it will not be able to enjoy the comparative benefits brought by foreign economic and trade relations, let alone use the global market to expand the scale of production, reduce the cost of unit product production and improve its own production efficiency, and it will not be able to learn from the advanced technology and management experience of other countries to improve and perfect itself. This can only lead to inefficient and backward economic development in the country, and as a result, the country will eventually become less secure.
Therefore, although the pursuit of national security is the national interest, the pursuit of absolute national security is neither realistic nor desirable, and the result will only be counterproductive.
(5) National security is non-unique
Those who study security often regard security as the only value pursued by the state, as if national security is achieved, the purpose of the state is achieved, and the people are satisfied. However, this is not the case. Security is not the only value pursued by the state, for the country, security is important, but other values are also important and cannot be ignored.
In addition to security, the state pursues many other values. The core values of socialism include "prosperity, democracy, civilization, harmony, freedom, equality, justice, rule of law, patriotism, dedication, integrity and friendliness". National security is the fundamental guarantee for the realization of these core values, but it cannot replace them. A person needs to be safe to live, but not just to live for safety, and a country does not exist only for security. In real life, whether it is an individual or a country, there are other value pursuits, and it is necessary to balance the pursuit of security and the pursuit of other values.
Prosperity and strength are one of the core values pursued by the country. The pursuit of prosperity and strength requires continuous reform and innovation, the development of science and technology and the improvement of management level, and the persistence of opening up to the outside world and the improvement of economic efficiency. Security is the guarantee for reform and innovation, the development of science and technology, the improvement of management level and the improvement of efficiency, but reform and innovation has always been risky, investment in scientific and technological research and development is risky, and opening up to the outside world helps to improve economic efficiency but also has risks. Therefore, the simple pursuit of security will lead enterprises to circumvent reform and innovation, and restrict opening up to the outside world, thus affecting economic efficiency.
Safety and efficiency are interdependent, without security, efficiency is not guaranteed, without efficiency, security loses its meaning. For example, the supervision of the banking industry, without strict supervision, the banking industry will certainly have problems or even serious problems, causing immeasurable damage to the national economy. However, excessive regulation is bound to lead to a sharp increase in the cost of supervision, a significant decline in the efficiency of banks, and ultimately a serious impact on the national economy.
In short, the simple pursuit of security will not only affect the country's pursuit of other values, but also make security itself unable to be effectively guaranteed.
(6) National security is subjective
Whether a person is safe or not depends not only on the objective situation, but also on subjective cognition. In the face of disease, some people can not be alarmed, and some people are panicked, which is largely determined by psychological factors. The unsuspecting person feels that the danger exists, but does not exaggerate the threat, but faces it rationally and pragmatically. Panicked people also sensed the presence of danger, but exaggerated the threat, so the reaction was intense. Rational and pragmatic face of the disease, even if it is not cured, it will not aggravate the disease; however, irrational treatment of the disease, excessive treatment, small diseases will become major diseases, and diseases that cannot be cured will also be aggravated.
Generally speaking, although countries face security challenges much more rationally and pragmatically, countries are also composed of individual people, so subjectivity is inevitable, often exaggerating the security risks faced by countries, and overreacting on this basis, resulting in increased security risks and even catastrophic impacts on national security, which occurs from time to time in international relations. For example, the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War was largely due to the subjective misjudgment of the state. Beginning in the mid-1950s, the United States gradually became involved in the Vietnam War and sent troops to Vietnam in 1965, leading to a full-scale escalation of the Vietnam War. While the Vietnam War caused great harm to Vietnam, it also caused tragic losses to the United States, provoking a strong anti-war movement in the United States. After the war, the United States reflected on why the United States "fought the wrong war at the wrong time, in the wrong place." One such view is that the U.S. government has exaggerated the so-called "communist threat" and arbitrarily believed that if the United States did not intervene, Vietnam would "fall" and would have a so-called "domino" effect, leading to the fall of Southeast Asia and thus threatening U.S. security. It was this subjective conjecture that ultimately led to the U.S. decision to send troops to Vietnam.
Similarly, the United States launched the iraq war in 2003 to a large extent because of its erroneous subjective judgment. The George W. Bush administration determined that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction and launched a war accordingly, but after occupying Iraq, the US military did not find so-called weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Why does the United States assume that Iraq possesses weapons of mass destruction? Many people do not believe the bush administration's rhetoric and put forward a "conspiracy theory" explanation for this, some saying that the United States is to control oil in the Middle East, and some saying that it is to promote democracy in the Middle East, but there is little factual basis. In fact, if the George W. Bush administration really used the fiction that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction as an excuse for its invasion of Iraq, it could also "lie" by fabricating the discovery of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, but it did not do so, but admitted to its own misjudgment. The United States has made the mistake of subjective assumption, exaggerated the significance of the so-called "Iraq possesses weapons of mass destruction" clue in intelligence, ignored the opposite facts, and one-sidedly believed that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction, which eventually led the United States to once again "fight a wrong war at the wrong time and in the wrong place", causing great harm to the Iraqi people and causing huge losses to the United States.
Of course, the impact of subjective perception on decision-making is not so extreme in most cases, but it can be said that the subjective perception of security by national policymakers determines to a large extent the decisions they make on national security issues.
(7) National security is of a social nature
National security depends not only on the strength and practices of a country itself, but also on the nature and extent of its relations with other countries, which is the so-called social nature of national security. The nature of State relations usually refers to hostility, confrontation, conflict, competition and cooperation, and the degree of State relations usually refers to the degree of hostility, confrontation, conflict, competition and cooperation. Man is a social animal, and his or her safety depends to a large extent on the nature and extent of his/her relationships with other people. The state is also a "social animal", and the security of the state depends to a large extent on the nature and extent of its relations with other countries. The social nature of national security determines that if a country wants to seek security, it needs to make more friends and make fewer enemies in the international community, especially to handle relations with powerful countries and neighboring countries.
In this regard, the work that a country can do includes the following aspects: First, to explain and explain its own security strategic objectives, principles and realization paths to the outside world, including the regular release of national defense white papers and the publicity and interpretation of strengthening national defense and security, so as to reduce the suspicion and vigilance of other countries; second, to strengthen dialogue and communication with relevant countries, reduce misunderstandings, and increase mutual understanding and trust; third, to establish various types of confidence-building measures through communication and consultation with other countries, including dialogue mechanisms, regular release of national defense strategies and budgets, The fourth is to establish national security cooperation organizations with other countries to communicate and consult regularly on regional and global security challenges, and on this basis to cooperate in meeting the above challenges.
The above content is not only the work that ordinary countries need to do, but also the work that superpowers need to do. Since the security of the super-Power can only be achieved by maintaining the international order, in order to avoid being dragged down by the high cost of maintaining the international order, it needs to make good use of the resources of other countries, especially the resources of other powers, in order to reduce the cost of maintaining the international security order. If other countries are to help the superpowers maintain the international order, they need to have good relations with other countries and avoid confrontation with other countries and consume their own resources as much as possible.
Therefore, understanding and grasping well the social issue of national security is an important aspect of the country's pursuit of security.
In summary, national security is an extremely rich concept, which has the characteristics of multi-faceted, related, variable, relativistic, non-unique, subjective and social. To thoroughly study and grasp national security, we must have an overall security mindset, comprehensively examine the challenges we face from a general perspective, learn from Chinese and foreign historical experiences and lessons, and seriously deal with them on this basis.
3. Principles of national security governance
According to the above characteristics of national security, the path selection of security governance should follow seven principles: overall, comprehensive, balanced, moderate, homeopathic and cooperative.
(1) General principles
The general principle of national security governance is to clarify the objectives of the national security strategy as a whole and the basic principles and paths to achieve them. The National Security Strategy is an integral part of the National Development Strategy, the objective of which is to ensure the achievement of the objectives of the National Development Strategy. To clarify the national security strategic objectives in general, it is necessary to understand and grasp the national strategic development goals, and then formulate the national security strategic objectives in accordance with the needs of the national strategic development goals, and formulate the basic principles and ways to achieve the national security strategic objectives in accordance with the national security strategic objectives.
Due to different international and domestic situations, a country's national interests and value demands in a specific historical period will be different, and the national development strategy objectives will be different. For example, after 1949, China's national development strategy and goals went through three stages: from the dignified "standing up" for a period after the founding of the People's Republic of China, to the concentrated efforts of the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China to "get rich" as soon as possible, and then to the efforts to peacefully "become strong" since entering the new era, during which there have been relatively large changes. The basic principles and path for China to achieve its goals have also undergone major changes from independence and self-reliance, to economic construction as the center and reform and opening up, to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the construction of a "community with a shared future for mankind". In this process, the goal of China's national security strategy is to ensure the effective implementation of the country's development strategy in a specific period, and to formulate the basic principles and paths of China's security strategy.
(2) The principle of comprehensiveness
The comprehensive principle of national security governance, that is, after determining the objectives of the national security strategy and the basic principles and paths to achieve the goals, it is necessary to comprehensively examine and analyze all aspects of national security and the relationship between these security areas, determine the position and role of each security field in the national security strategy, and thus give corresponding weight, and on this basis determine the objectives of each security field and the policies and specific practices to achieve the goal.
As mentioned earlier, national security covers sixteen kinds of security, including political security, and can also be subdivided in each field, such as political security involving the building of the ruling party, multi-party cooperation, the construction of the rule of law, administration according to law, supervision according to law, news media norms, and social organization governance. National security governance needs to identify and analyze security risks in every aspect, and there can be no omissions.
The security field is interrelated and interacts, so effective security governance also needs to carefully sort out the relationship between them, whether it is the relationship between political security and economic security, or the relationship between military security and economic security, whether it is the relationship between territorial security and political security, or the relationship between domestic security and international security. In the process of sorting out, it is necessary to give corresponding weights to specific security areas and even sub-fields in the security field according to the requirements of the national security strategic objectives in a specific period. For example, for a period of time after the founding of New China, in the face of the encirclement of external hostile forces and the pressure of internal integration, the strategic goal of national security is to ensure that China "stands up" with dignity, which requires more attention to issues such as homeland security, military security, and political security; after the implementation of the reform and opening up policy, the strategic goal of national security is to ensure the effective implementation of reform and opening up, which requires more attention to political security and economic security; entering the new era, with China's national security goal is to ensure that China is peaceful." Strengthen up", which requires more attention to scientific and technological security, overseas interest security and international security.
(3) The principle of balance
The principle of balancing national security governance is to comprehensively balance the policies and practices of safeguarding national security in different fields and at different times in the process of safeguarding national security, to refuse the practice of sacrificing security in other fields or subfields because of the pursuit of absolute security in any field or subfield, and to refuse to ignore long-term security interests because of safeguarding short-term security interests. Because these practices can minimize the security risks in one security area or sub-area for a certain period of time, they will bring risks and threats to the security of other areas and periods.
In terms of different areas or sub-areas of security, such as the simple maintenance of national security through a substantial increase in military expenditures, it will not only lead to an arms race with other countries, or even a joint response by other countries, but also lead to a reduction in investment in national economic construction, weakening the competitiveness of the national economy and the economic basis for maintaining and strengthening military capabilities in the future, and ultimately the country will be more insecure. On the other hand, if we only attach importance to economic growth and do not attach importance to the construction of military capabilities, economic growth will not be guaranteed at least, and this is also undesirable. In short, it is necessary to take into account and coordinate the security needs of different fields, and avoid sacrificing the security of other areas because of the blind pursuit of security in one area.
As far as the security interests at different times are concerned, short-term interests and long-term interests often contradict each other, such as facing the pressure of the "card neck" problem in other countries in the high-tech field, short-term interests require us to solve all the "card neck" problems, achieve complete independence, cut off contact with the outside world, and eliminate the "card neck" risk once and for all. However, long-term interests require us to persist in opening up to the outside world in order to make full use of various international resources to develop ourselves, and both are related to China's development interests. Therefore, to maintain national security on the issue of "stuck necks", we need to balance short-term and long-term security interests.
(4) The principle of moderation
The principle of moderation in national security governance is to reject the temptation to pursue absolute security in the process of safeguarding the overall security of the country and the security of specific areas. We must be fully aware that the pursuit of absolute security is unrealistic, the cost is too high, and the third is that it will damage the country's pursuit of other values. For any country, resources are limited, and the demand for resources is unlimited. Therefore, to use resources wisely, we are required to be good at finding reasonable limits for the pursuit of safety, and obtaining maximum security at the most reasonable cost. In addition, for any country, security is only one of the values pursued by the state, not all, therefore, in the pursuit of security at the same time to pay attention to moderation, limit the pursuit of security practices on other values impact and restrictions, to ensure that other values can also be realized to the greatest extent. Therefore, in the process of safeguarding national security, we must be pragmatic and calculate costs, try to limit the impact on other values, and make it moderately feasible.
(5) The principle of balance
The balanced principle of national security governance is to balance the relationship between different security areas and other values in the pursuit of national security. There is a need to balance between the needs of different security fields, such as between strengthening national defense construction and promoting economic development, between strengthening financial supervision and improving economic efficiency, between keeping state secrets and carrying out foreign exchanges, and between safeguarding maritime rights and interests and maintaining the stability of foreign relations. At the same time, the necessary balance should be made between the pursuit of national security and other values, such as national security and personal privacy, national security and individual freedom, national security and individual rights, and national security and the promotion of democracy. We must fully realize that although security is the premise and guarantee for the realization of other values, it cannot replace other values, let alone sacrifice other values.
(6) The principle of homeopathy
The homeopathic principle of national security governance is to conform to the general trend of domestic and foreign development, follow the trend, and adjust the security strategy in a timely manner. Dr. Sun Yat-sen once said that the general trend of the world is vast and soupy, and those who go along with it prosper and those who oppose it perish. The "general trend" mentioned here includes changes in the international pattern, changes in the stage of national development, and essential changes in various security risks.
At the international level, changes in the international pattern include a bipolar pattern to a multipolar pattern, a bipolar pattern to a unipolar pattern, and a unipolar pattern to a bipolar or multipolar pattern, or globalization. Once a different international pattern is formed, it will fundamentally change the opportunities and challenges facing all countries. For example, for rising countries, the challenges posed by different patterns to countries are different, and the challenges of unipolar patterns are even greater. For another example, for any country, globalization has fundamentally changed the conditions for the rise and fall of countries and poses new opportunities and challenges for national development and security. In the face of such major changes, all countries need to adapt to the changes, take corresponding measures, avoid risks and seize opportunities, and cannot ignore or even go against the trend.
At the national level, changes in the stages of national development also mean fundamental changes in the security environment. Under such circumstances, both the development strategy and the security strategy must be adjusted in line with changes, and if it is not adjusted in time, not only will the security strategy not be realized, but it will also bring unpredictable damage to national security. At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, the comprehensive national strength of the United States had surpassed that of Britain, and on the eve of World War I, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the United States was more than that of Britain and Germany combined, and the United States was a well-deserved superpower at that time. As a superpower, the interests of the United States have gone global, and it can only protect its own interests more and more by maintaining the international order. In this context, the "internationalists" represented by President Wilson advocate abandoning the isolationist policy that the United States has long adhered to, actively participating in international affairs, and promoting the construction of a new international order. Therefore, at the end of the First World War, Wilson put forward a fourteen-point proposal on the handling of international affairs after the war, which had a major impact on the negotiation of the post-war international order and the establishment of the International Alliance. However, Wilson's claims were not supported by the American people, the United States Congress refused to ratify the Treaty of Versailles, and refused to agree to the United States to join the League of Nations, and Wilson himself did not get re-elected, with the result that the United States returned to isolationism. It is precisely because the US government did not keep pace with the times and did not assume the responsibility of maintaining world order, which to a certain extent led to the Great Depression of the world economy in the late 1920s, the growth of fascism, and the outbreak of World War II, causing serious damage to the national interests and national security of the United States.
In specific security areas, if there is a fundamental change in security risks (such as the emergence of nuclear weapons in the field of military security and the prominence of climate warming in the field of non-traditional security), it is also necessary to have a clear understanding of the situation and adjust the security strategy in a timely manner. The advent of nuclear weapons has changed the meaning of war to a certain extent, nuclear war means the destruction of both sides and even the earth, there is no longer a winner in war, and even the struggle between justice and injustice will become meaningless. This is the fundamental reason why nuclear weapons have not fought among the nuclear-weapon States since the advent of nuclear weapons, and why during the Cold War, under the extreme confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union, the two sides were able to sit down and talk about limiting nuclear weapons and confidence-building measures.
In short, in the face of the general trend of development at home and abroad, the best choice for seeking national security is to go with the flow, do what we can, do something, do something, and act with our strength.
(7) Principles of cooperation
The principle of cooperation in national security governance is to transcend ideological and value differences on the basis of common principles and interests, and strive to cooperate with all countries to seek cooperative security. No country, even a superpower, no matter how powerful it is, can ensure its own security alone. In the era of globalization, where countries are increasingly interdependent, there are more and more global challenges, such as the problem of international economic order, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the security of international sea passages, the problem of network security, the problem of large-scale infectious diseases, the problem of space security, the problem of climate warming, the problem of transnational crime, the problem of illegal immigration, etc. Like other globalization problems, it is not something that one country or several countries can solve on their own, but requires the full cooperation of the international community to effectively control it. The "community of shared future for mankind" advocated by General Secretary Xi Jinping is also to emphasize this reality, so he calls on the international community to manage differences, strengthen cooperation and achieve mutual benefit and win-win results on the basis of mutual respect.
Of course, cooperation is neither unprincipled nor wishful thinking. As a country, it is necessary to clarify its own principles and interests, on this basis to determine which issues need and can be cooperated, to pursue its own interests while taking into account the interests of other countries, and to work with other countries to jointly address global security challenges.
conclusion
This paper provides a preliminary discussion of the characteristics of national security and the principles of governance. The concept of "national security" is rich in connotation, involving a wide range of fields, different security fields are interrelated and interact with each other, the opportunities and risks faced by countries in the security field are constantly changing and developing, and security itself also has the characteristics of relativity, non-uniqueness, subjectivity and sociality. Therefore, effective national security governance requires us to have a global mindset, take history as a mirror, and comprehensively examine and grasp national security issues from the dimension of overall security.
Effective governance of national security issues is related to national development, social stability and people's happiness. According to the multiple characteristics of national security issues, we also need to put forward the basic principles of national security governance on the basis of analyzing the above characteristics. The effective governance of national security needs to do at least the following: determine the national security strategic objectives in accordance with the national development strategy objectives, clarify the basic principles and paths for achieving the goals, comprehensively and systematically understand national security issues and coordinate the security interests of all parties, take into account the needs of different security fields, seek relative security, abandon the pursuit of absolute security, balance the relationship between security values and other values, reasonably assess changes in the international trend and adjust security strategies in a timely manner, and respond to security challenges through cooperation between countries. If we can do the above, national security issues can be effectively controlled to a certain extent.
[Next day period: 2021-11-04]
【Revised:2021-12-08】
【Editor-in-Charge: Xie Lei】
*Disclaimer: This article only represents the personal views of the author and does not represent the position of this official account
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