China’s top intelligence official has set out a sweeping security blueprint for the next five years, highlighting priorities such as countering Taiwan independence, curbing technology theft, intensifying anti-espionage efforts and boosting protection of the country’s overseas interests and trade routes.
In a lengthy article published recently in the Party-run journal Study Times, State Security Minister Chen Yixin said the Ministry of State Security (MSS) must develop into a modern, technologically driven and politically loyal intelligence apparatus capable of addressing what he characterised as rapidly escalating external and internal threats.
Building a New “Great Wall” of National Security
Chen framed his outlook around the need to build what he called an “impenetrable Great Wall of national security,” arguing that defending the Party and the state has become the foundation of China’s modernisation goals. He linked his directives to decisions taken at the recent Fourth Plenum and to guidance from President Xi Jinping, calling them the ideological basis for China’s security posture during the 2026–2030 period.
China expert Manoj Kewalramani, who closely follows the workings of the Communist Party, says Chen is effectively portraying a “grim, threat-laden picture of the world” shaped above all by systemic contestation between major powers. Kewalramani notes that Chen’s framing aligns closely with the Party’s post-Plenum assessment: the shift from unipolarity to multipolarity is underway, but it is also generating geopolitical turbulence, economic fragmentation, and the weaponisation of technology. This, he says, forms the backdrop for China’s push to harden security across all domains.
A significant portion of the article depicts what Chen described as a deteriorating global environment. He said the world is entering a “storm belt” marked by rising geopolitical rivalry, weakening U.S. dominance, expanding multipolarity led by the Global South, intensified technology competition and renewed terrorist activity. These developments, he wrote, require deeper integration of China’s intelligence, legal and security systems.
Taiwan: The Core Security Battle
Taiwan is presented as the central security priority. Chen said national reunification is essential to the country’s long-term goals and stated that “Taiwan independence” must be defeated, warning that China would not tolerate foreign intervention—particularly from the United States.
Chen also introduced what he called the “Five Anti-Struggles” framework to guide MSS operations over the coming years. These include resisting subversion, opposing foreign hegemony, countering separatism, combating terrorism and expanding anti-espionage operations.
Economic and Tech Security Move to the Forefront
Economic and technological security feature prominently in the plan, with Chen warning of attempts to restrict China’s access to advanced technologies, disrupt supply chains and weaken its rise through sanctions. He said securing key technologies, strategic resources and industrial systems would be elevated to core national-security priorities.
Chen also highlighted the need to protect China’s expanding overseas footprint, calling for forward-deployed intelligence networks, early-warning systems and mechanisms to secure citizens, companies and Belt and Road infrastructure abroad.
A Modern, AI-Driven Intelligence State
Modernising the MSS through artificial intelligence, real-time surveillance platforms and unified command systems forms another major pillar of the plan. Chen stressed that technological upgrades must be matched with ideological discipline, describing the need for a “loyal, clean, iron-disciplined” security force.
The publication of the article in Study Times suggests high-level political endorsement and indicates that national security will hold greater priority than economic considerations in China’s next Five-Year Plan.
Research Associate at StratNewsGlobal, A keen observer of #China and Foreign Affairs. Writer, Weibo Trends, Analyst.
Twitter: @resham_sng
