Chinese President Xi Jinping this week urged top security officials in the ruling Communist Party to modernize the country’s national security system, warning them to brace for the “worst case” scenario as tensions escalate with the United States.
Xi, who is also the party’s general secretary and chairman of its Central Military Council, said at the first meeting of the National Security Commission that China should understand the current difficult security environment, state media reported.
“The complexity and difficulty of the national security issues we are facing now have increased significantly,” Xi was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua news agency on Tuesday.
“We must adhere to extreme and worst-case thinking and be ready to be severely tested by wind, high waves and even dangerous storm surges,” he added.
Xi, who earlier this year openly accused Washington of trying to “encircle” and “crush” China, urged the assembled officials to intensify efforts to ensure China’s socialist development by building a national security system.
The comments reflect a major shift in the policies of Xi Jinping, who sought to revive communism in line with his vision, known as Marxism-Leninism with Chinese characteristics for a new era.
Since coming to power in 2012, Xi has moved from economic liberalization and political reforms to strict restrictions that he believes will prevent China from following the path of the Soviet Union.
The Chinese government blamed the collapse of the Soviet empire in 1991 on “historical nihilism,” which is defined as all ideologies and concepts that run counter to conventional Communist Party narratives.
In 2021, Xi ordered party members to study history and emphasized an ideological commitment to promoting the communist revolution.
