China's Global Security Push Gains Momentum
Countries around the world are increasingly turning to China for security tools and techniques. This trend represents a significant shift in global influence networks.
The Global Security Initiative in Action
Chinese leader Xi Jinping launched the Global Security Initiative in 2022. He described it as an effort to maintain world peace while avoiding Western approaches. Since then, China has dramatically expanded its security activities abroad.
The initiative focuses on helping foreign governments combat crime. However, it also assists them in controlling citizens and maintaining power. This dual approach has proven remarkably popular with many regimes.
Building International Networks
China transformed a small regional policing forum into its largest international security event. The Global Public Security Co-operation Forum now attracts delegates from over 120 countries. Participants discuss security cooperation and examine Chinese police technology like robotic dogs.
Organizers recently introduced the "Global Public Security Index." This ranking system uses seemingly arbitrary scores on various security measures. China consistently tops these rankings, while America scores below average.
Sheena Greitens from the University of Texas observes that this represents an attempt to reset security standards globally. She notes China presents itself as the right example to follow.
Surveillance Technology Exports Soar
Practical security influence spreads through booming surveillance technology exports. Two Chinese firms, Hikvision and Dahua, dominate global surveillance camera manufacturing. Together they control about 40% of the market.
Huawei supplies its "Safe City" surveillance systems to more than 100 countries. A recent investigation revealed that Geedge Networks, a private Chinese company, sold internet-control technology to several governments. These systems help countries censor content and monitor citizens.
Police Training Programs Expand Rapidly
A new study by Carnegie Endowment researchers reveals extensive police training programs. China has provided nearly 900 training sessions to security forces from 138 countries since 2000.
The annual number of sessions grew nearly tenfold during Xi Jinping's first decade in power. Numbers jumped from 14 sessions in 2010 to 138 in 2019. Although pandemic disruptions caused temporary declines, programs continue expanding.
Most training occurs at Chinese police colleges. Visiting groups spend weeks or months learning about China's law-enforcement system. They visit local public-security bureaus and take specialized courses. Topics range from border control to railway security.
Participants often receive copies of Xi Jinping's book "The Governance of China." Cultural activities like tai chi and calligraphy sometimes complement the training.
International Deployment and Model Export
Chinese police also embed directly with foreign forces abroad. This year, Chinese advisers traveled to the Solomon Islands. They promoted the "Fengqiao Model," a Mao-era system encouraging villagers to monitor each other.
Neighboring countries receive the most police training from China. Central Asian nations focus on counter-terrorism training. Southeast Asian countries collaborate on combating scams and trafficking.
African countries participate significantly, likely due to Chinese concerns about protecting Belt and Road investments. These programs address genuine security needs while expanding Chinese influence.
Regime Preferences and Training Patterns
Cross-referencing training data with democracy indices reveals interesting patterns. Approximately 82% of authoritarian regimes have received Chinese police training.
Nearly one-third of full democracies have also participated. However, researchers note these programs tend to be more superficial. European police might learn Mandarin to improve communication with Chinese counterparts.
Most training covers generic skills like combating cybercrime or narcotics. This resembles American foreign-police training through International Law Enforcement Academies. The key difference lies in political conditions.
American assistance aims to promote democracy and avoids human-rights abusers. China claims its help comes without strings attached. This approach proves popular with various regime types.
Impact on Governance and Stability
Does Chinese security engagement make governments more authoritarian? Research suggests effects depend on existing predispositions.
A University of Southern California study found Huawei technology increases digital repression in autocratic countries. Democratic countries show no similar effects. China simultaneously provides public goods and creates repressive capacity.
Countries with strong legal safeguards and civil societies can use Chinese technology without veering into repression. However, governments leaning toward authoritarianism find China both an enabler and inspiration.
Real-World Applications and Consequences
Kazakhstan provides a concrete example. After civil unrest in 2022, Almaty installed thousands of Chinese-made surveillance cameras. Security agencies may be learning from Chinese systems in Xinjiang.
These systems use artificial intelligence to identify potentially troublesome individuals. Restrictions apply even without committed crimes. In one incident, an anti-corruption activist triggered alerts at Almaty airport simply by appearing in a police database.
Ethiopia demonstrates that Chinese security support doesn't guarantee stability. Despite extensive monitoring and repression assistance, Ethiopia faces multiple insurgencies and ethnic tensions. The country teeters on the edge of chaos, contradicting Xi's vision of peace and security.
The DIY Repression Toolkit
China's cleverest strategy involves empowering authoritarians without explicitly promoting authoritarianism. It presents itself as a simple provider of tools for client governments to use as they choose.
Serbia illustrates this dynamic well. Despite a Chinese-built structure collapse that killed 16 people last November, 81% of Serbians view China favorably. China trains Serbian police and provides surveillance gear that activists believe targets protesters.
Unlike Western countries, China doesn't claim to represent specific political values. It refrains from commenting on Serbia's domestic unrest, making its security diplomacy difficult to counter.
Pacific Islands and Strategic Competition
The Pacific Islands reveal China's growing influence most visibly. After accepting Chinese training, police forces in places like the Solomon Islands increasingly focus on protecting the state rather than citizens.
Australia struggles to compete through what analysts call "gifting brinkmanship." This involves offering more equipment and assistance than China with fewer conditions. The Solomon Islands government now discusses establishing its own armed forces, a move most consider unwise.
Australia may support this development to prevent China from providing military assistance instead.
Dual Security Assistance Systems Emerge
Some countries cleverly navigate between Chinese and American security assistance. Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates receive Chinese internal-security support alongside American defense assistance.
This creates what analysts describe as "uncharted territory." Two different types of security assistance now overlap while being led by different actors. The result could be a more transactional world where states grow stronger while citizens become weaker.
China's security exports continue reshaping global dynamics. The country offers practical solutions without political conditions, appealing to governments worldwide. As these programs expand, their long-term implications for global security architecture remain uncertain but increasingly significant.
