Building a New Security Architecture Requires Adhering to Systematic Thinking

National security is the foundation of national rejuvenation and an important cornerstone for ensuring the stability and security of the state. The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC [1]1 The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC was held in July 2024, focusing on comprehensively deepening reform and advancing Chinese modernization. made systematic arrangements around "advancing the modernization of the national security system and capacity, and building a higher-level Peaceful China," emphasizing "consolidating a centralized, unified, efficient, and authoritative national security leadership system, accelerating the construction of a new security architecture, and enhancing the strategic initiative to maintain and shape national security." [2]2 This quotation is from the Communiqué of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC. Currently, the world is undergoing changes unseen in a century at an accelerating pace, with traditional and non-traditional security issues interwoven and overlapping. The connotation of national security is richer than at any time in history, the temporal and spatial domains of national security are broader than at any time in history, and the internal and external factors affecting national security are more complex than at any time in history. To build a new security architecture, it is necessary to firmly establish a holistic view of national security, apply the systematic thinking method of Marxism, comprehensively consider multiple dimensions such as the basic national conditions, stage of development, comprehensive national power, and great-power rivalry, and propose holistic and forward-looking response strategies.

国家安全是民族复兴的根基，是安邦定国的重要基石。党的二十届四中全会围绕“推进国家安全体系和能力现代化，建设更高水平平安中国”进行系统部署，强调“巩固集中统一、高效权威的国家安全领导体制，加快构建新安全格局，增强维护和塑造国家安全战略主动”。当前，世界百年未有之大变局加速演进，传统安全问题与非传统安全问题交织叠加，国家安全的内涵比历史上任何时候都要丰富，国家安全的时空领域比历史上任何时候都要宽广，影响国家安全的内外因素比历史上任何时候都要复杂。构建新安全格局，要牢固树立总体国家安全观，运用马克思主义的系统思维方法，通盘考虑基本国情、发展阶段、综合国力以及大国博弈等多个维度，提出整体性前瞻性应对方略。

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General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Party committees and governments at all levels must adhere to systematic thinking, further establish the concept that development is the absolute principle and security is also the absolute principle, and consciously unify development and security in their work, planning them together, deploying them as one, and promoting mutual reinforcement. We must adhere to a national chessboard, with efforts from top to bottom, creating conditions for overall national security by ensuring the security of one region, one domain, and one industry, and laying a solid foundation for the long-term stability and security of the state by promptly and effectively resolving individual security issues." [3]3 This quotation is from a speech by Xi Jinping at the twenty-sixth collective study session of the Political Bureau of the 20th CPC Central Committee in February 2024. Different fields of national security are interconnected and indivisible; maintaining national security requires overall consideration. Systematic thinking is a method of observing things comprehensively and from the perspective of universal interconnection, and properly handling various major relationships, emphasizing holism, synergy, and dynamism.

习近平总书记指出：“各级党委和政府要坚持系统思维，进一步树立发展是硬道理、安全也是硬道理的理念，在工作中自觉把发展和安全统一起来，共同谋划、一体部署、相互促进。要坚持全国一盘棋、上下齐发力，通过抓好一地一域一业的安全为国家整体安全创造条件，通过及时有效解决一个个安全问题为国家长治久安筑牢根基。”国家安全的不同领域相互联系、不可分割，维护国家安全需要统筹兼顾。系统思维是运用系统观点，全面地、普遍联系地观察事物，妥善处理各种重大关系的思维方法，强调整体性、协同性和动态性。

Applying holistic thinking to build a "grand security" system. In the current era, security issues exhibit high complexity and interconnectedness, and the traditional "fragmented" security governance model can no longer meet practical needs. Applying holistic thinking to build a "grand security" system covering multiple fields and levels has become an inevitable choice. Holistic thinking advocates grasping the essence and laws of things' development from their entirety, internal connections, and dynamic evolution, prioritizing the whole, focusing on interrelated interactions, and highlighting hierarchical structure. National security involves multiple fields such as politics, economy, science and technology, and biology. Among them, political security is the foundation of national security; a stable political environment provides a strong guarantee for economic development and technological innovation. Economic security is the basis of national security; a strong economic strength provides material support for security in other fields. Scientific and technological security is directly related to the country's core competitiveness. Biological security is closely linked to the people's life and health. Only by treating these many fields as an organic whole, breaking down field divisions and departmental barriers, and forming a collaborative and coordinated governance pattern can we effectively prevent and respond to various security threats and achieve long-term national stability and the people's peaceful life.

运用整体性思维构建“大安全”体系。当今时代，安全问题呈现出高度复杂性和关联性，传统“碎片化”的安全治理模式已难以满足现实需求。运用整体性思维构建涵盖多领域多层级的“大安全”体系成为必然选择。整体性思维主张从事物的整体、内在联系和动态发展中把握事物发展的本质和规律，坚持整体优先、聚焦关联互动、突出层次结构。国家安全涉及政治、经济、科技、生物等多个领域，其中，政治安全是国家安全的根本，稳定的政治环境为经济发展、科技创新等提供坚强保障；经济安全是国家安全的基础，强大的经济实力为其他领域安全提供物质支撑；科技安全直接关系国家核心竞争力；生物安全则与人民生命健康息息相关。只有将诸多领域视为一个有机整体，打破领域分割和部门壁垒，形成协同联动的治理格局，才能有效防范和应对各类安全威胁，实现国家长治久安和人民安居乐业。

Applying synergistic thinking to strengthen multi-subject coordination. Synergistic thinking emphasizes consciously designing, managing, and optimizing the interactive relationships and cooperative processes within the system and between related systems, so that various elements, resources, and actions complement each other in time, space, and function, thereby maximizing overall effectiveness. In practice, various functional departments play unique roles in security affairs. By strengthening multi-subject coordination mechanisms and establishing regular communication mechanisms and joint emergency response plans, the ability to respond to complex security threats can be significantly enhanced. For example, different regions face security risks with distinct local characteristics, yet these risks influence each other. In addressing cross-border crime, border areas strengthen entry-exit controls, while inland areas deeply investigate criminal networks, enabling a more effective full-chain crackdown on cross-border crime. Through regional security cooperation meetings, joint law enforcement operations, and other means, various regions can help break down geographical limitations and form a combined force for prevention and control. Another example is the military-civilian coordination, which occupies an important position in the national security system. The military possesses strong combat capabilities and professional technology, while local authorities have abundant social resources and extensive information channels. In disaster relief, the military rapidly deploys troops for rescue operations, while local authorities are responsible for organizing material support and resettling affected populations. Only by achieving efficient military-civilian coordination can a powerful combined force be formed.

运用协同性思维强化多主体联动。协同性思维强调通过有意识的设计、管理和优化系统内部及各相关系统之间的互动关系和合作过程，使各种要素、资源、行动在时间、空间和功能上相互配合、优势互补，从而实现整体效能的最大化。实践中，各职能部门在安全事务中扮演着独特角色，通过强化多主体间联动机制，建立常态化的沟通机制、联合应急处置预案，能够大幅提升应对复杂安全威胁的能力。例如，不同地区面临的安全风险各具地域特征，但又相互影响。在应对跨境犯罪问题上，边境地区加强出入境管控，内陆地区深挖犯罪网络，能够更好实现对跨境犯罪的全链条打击。各地通过区域安全合作会议、联合执法行动等方式，有助于打破地域限制，形成防控合力。再如，军地联动在国家安全体系中居于重要位置。军队拥有强大的作战能力和专业技术，地方则具备丰富的社会资源和广泛的信息渠道。在抢险救灾中，军队迅速投入兵力进行救援，地方负责组织物资保障、安置受灾群众，只有实现军地高效协同，才能形成强大合力。

Applying dynamic thinking to improve the closed-loop mechanism of security governance. Dynamic thinking emphasizes understanding and grasping the essence of things from their movement, change, evolution, and development processes. Security risks have characteristics such as transmissibility and coupling, and are in a constant state of development and change. This requires us to apply dynamic thinking to establish a closed-loop mechanism for security governance of "pre-event warning—in-event response—post-event assessment." Pre-event warning is the first line of defense in security governance. By using advanced technical means such as sensors, big data, and artificial intelligence, and strengthening the functions of platforms like citizen hotlines and comprehensive governance centers, real-time monitoring and analysis of data in multiple fields such as politics, economy, and society can be carried out, allowing for timely capture and response to potential security risks. Once a risk occurs, in-event response must be rapid and effective, which requires scientifically effective emergency plans and close cooperation between various departments to form an efficient emergency response mechanism. Post-event assessment is an important part of the closed-loop mechanism of security governance. Conducting a comprehensive and scientific assessment of security incidents, analyzing the causes and coupling factors of the incident, as well as the strengths and weaknesses in the response process, helps to identify vulnerabilities in the security protection system, promptly repair and upgrade them, and improve relevant systems and emergency plans.

运用动态性思维完善安全治理闭环机制。动态性思维强调从事物的运动、变化、演化和发展过程中去理解和把握事物的本质。安全风险具有传导性和耦合性等特点，处在不断的发展变化过程中，这要求我们运用动态性思维，建立“事前预警—事中处置—事后评估”的安全治理闭环机制。事前预警是安全治理的第一道防线，通过运用传感器、大数据、人工智能等先进技术手段，强化市民热线、综治中心等平台功能，能够对政治、经济、社会等多领域数据进行实时监测与分析，及时捕捉和回应潜在安全风险。一旦风险发生，事中处置必须迅速、有效，而这需要科学有效的应急预案、各部门之间的紧密配合，以形成高效的应急响应机制。事后评估是安全治理闭环机制的重要环节，对安全事件进行全面、科学的评估，分析事件发生的原因及耦合因素、处置过程中的优点与不足，有助于发现安全防护体系存在的漏洞，及时进行修复和升级，并完善相关制度和应急预案。

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On the new journey, only by adapting to the complex and changing security situation, transforming systematic thinking into an actionable and evaluable action framework of full-element coordination, full-chain governance, and full-means application, and accelerating the construction of a new security architecture, can we achieve the scientific, precise, and efficient governance of national security.

新征程上，只有适应复杂多变的安全形势，将系统思维转化为可执行、可评估的全要素协同、全链条治理、全手段运用的行动框架，加快构建新安全格局，才能实现国家安全治理的科学化、精准化与高效化。

Integrating security resources to achieve full-element coordination. Full-element coordination aims to break the "fragmented" dilemma and "silo effect" of dispersed security resources and departmental divisions, and achieve optimal resource allocation by establishing efficient coordination mechanisms. To this end, the "four beams and eight pillars" institutional system should be improved [4]4 "Four beams and eight pillars" (四梁八柱) is a Chinese idiom used metaphorically to refer to the main supporting framework or fundamental structure of a system., with the National Security Law as the guide, to perfect the legal system, strategic system, and policy system; specialized mechanisms for risk monitoring and early warning, emergency management, crisis control, and post-incident recovery should be established; the focus of security governance should be shifted downward, with street communities, enterprises and institutions, social organizations, and residents actively participating, implementing security responsibilities, and forming a powerful combined force for the entire society to jointly maintain national security. At the same time, regional joint prevention and control mechanisms such as those for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and the Yangtze River Delta should be improved. Through establishing information-sharing platforms, joint exercises, and other means, each region can achieve synergistic coordination of security forces within the region, jointly responding to cross-regional security threats such as natural disasters and public health incidents. Emphasis should be placed on cross-domain coordination, improving the security guarantee system for jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative, organically combining security with development. While promoting economic cooperation with partner countries, mechanisms such as risk early warning and emergency response should be established to coordinate responses to security challenges in multiple fields such as politics, economy, and culture.

整合安全资源，实现全要素协同。全要素协同旨在打破安全资源分散、部门分割的“碎片化”困境和“孤岛效应”，通过建立高效的协同机制实现资源优化配置。为此，应完善“四梁八柱”制度体系，以国家安全法为统领，健全法治体系、战略体系、政策体系；建立风险监测预警、应急管理、危机管控、事后恢复等专业化机制；推动安全治理重心下移，街道社区、企事业单位、社会组织和居民群众等主体积极参与，落实安全责任，形成全社会共同维护国家安全的强大合力。同时，完善京津冀、长三角等区域联防联控机制，各区域通过建立信息共享平台、联合演练等方式，实现区域内安全力量的协同联动，共同应对自然灾害、公共卫生事件等跨区域安全威胁。注重跨领域协同，完善共建“一带一路”安全保障体系，将安全与发展有机结合，在推动共建国家经济合作的同时，通过构建风险预警、应急处置等机制，统筹应对政治、经济、文化等多领域安全挑战。

Strengthening process control to achieve full-chain governance. Full-chain governance focuses on the entire process of security risk prevention and control, aiming to form a closed-loop management from source prevention to end-point response, in order to effectively prevent risk transmission and secondary disasters. Source governance emphasizes identifying potential safety hazards in advance through a scientific risk assessment mechanism, nipping them in the bud. Process control relies on advanced technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence to build an intelligent early warning system. This requires integrating data resources from multiple departments and using algorithmic large models to conduct dynamic analysis and early warning of various security risks, achieving early detection, early assessment, and early prevention of risks. End-point response focuses on the improvement of the emergency plan system and practical exercises. For example, detailed emergency plans should be formulated for emergencies such as natural disasters and accidents, and the feasibility of the plans should be tested through regular exercises to enhance emergency response capability and disposal efficiency.

强化过程管控，实现全链条治理。全链条治理着眼安全风险防控全过程，旨在形成从源头预防到末端处置的闭环管理，以有效防范风险传导和次生灾害。源头治理强调通过科学的风险评估机制，提前识别潜在安全隐患，将隐患扼杀在萌芽。过程管控依托大数据、人工智能等先进技术，构建智能化预警体系。这需要整合多部门数据资源，运用算法大模型对各类安全风险进行动态分析与预警，实现风险的早发现、早研判、早预防。末端处置注重应急预案体系的完善与实战化演练。例如，针对自然灾害、事故灾难等突发事件，制定详细的应急预案，并通过定期演练检验预案的可行性，提升应急响应能力与处置效率。

Innovate governance tools to achieve the use of all means. The use of all means aims to comprehensively employ multiple methods to form a synergy in national security governance. For example, focusing on ideological security, by strengthening the dissemination of mainstream values and enhancing the ability to guide public opinion, we resist the ideological infiltration of external forces and fortify the ideological defense line. Taking the industry chain "chain chief system" [5]5 The "chain chief system" (链长制) is a Chinese government mechanism where designated officials (chain chiefs) oversee the development and security of specific industrial supply chains, aiming to coordinate resources and mitigate risks. as a lever, by establishing a security guarantee system for the industrial and supply chains, we strengthen the independent controllability of key links and core technologies, thereby safeguarding national economic security. Promote the innovative application of frontier technologies such as quantum communication and blockchain, enhance the capability of network security protection, and address new security threats in the digital era. Improve the system of laws and regulations in the field of national security, provide a solid legal basis for national security governance, and enhance the modernization level of the national security system and capacity.

创新治理工具，实现全手段运用。全手段运用旨在综合运用多种手段，形成国家安全治理合力。例如，聚焦意识形态安全，通过加强主流价值观传播、提升舆论引导能力，抵御外部势力的意识形态渗透，筑牢思想防线。以产业链“链长制”为抓手，通过建立产业链供应链安全保障体系，强化关键环节、核心技术的自主可控，保障国家经济安全。推动量子通信、区块链等前沿技术创新应用，提升网络安全防护能力，应对数字时代的新型安全威胁。完善国家安全领域法律法规体系，为国家安全治理提供坚实法律依据，提升国家安全体系和能力现代化水平。

(Author: Yuan Zhenlong, specially appointed researcher of the Beijing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era Research Center, Director of the Comprehensive Governance Research Institute of the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences)

（作者：袁振龙，系北京市习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想研究中心特约研究员、北京市社会科学院综合治理研究所所长）

Online editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧