Xi urges institutions to safeguard national security

President Xi Jinping has called on institutions involved in the nation's political and legal affairs to resolutely safeguard national security, bolster their political acumen and judgment, and prevent and resolve major security risks.

In an instruction published on Sunday, Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, underlined the need to modernize the nation's political and legal work to serve the Chinese path to modernization.

The instruction was conveyed by Chen Wenqing, secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, at a televised two-day national conference, which started on Saturday.

Xi called on judicial, procuratorial, public security and national security organs as well as justice departments to uphold the absolute leadership of the CPC and faithfully fulfill their duties and responsibilities.

He reiterated the need to carry forward the "Fengqiao model" for promoting community-level governance in the new era, as part of broader efforts for safeguarding social stability and the legitimate interests of the people.

The model, which was initiated in Fengqiao, a township in Zhejiang province, over 60 years ago, has received fresh attention from the nation's top leadership in recent years for promoting the resolution of disputes by people at the community level.

Xi emphasized stronger efforts to ensure and promote social fairness and justice, uphold the unity of the country's legal system and promote scientific legislation, strict law enforcement, a just and impartial judiciary, and legal compliance of the entire population.

It is important to ensure high-quality growth with high-level security, safeguard the order of socialist market economy in accordance with the law, and step up the construction of a better business environment based on the rule of law, he said.