New anti-terror guidelines released

China has formulated national anti-terrorism guidelines to coordinate security forces across the nation.

Nine guidelines were announced by security chief Meng Jianzhu at an anti-terrorism work conference in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Meng said the guidelines are aimed at coping with changes and trends in the fight against terrorism at home and abroad. China is closely integrating its efforts with the international battle against terrorism after an increasing number of domestic attacks were plotted overseas on the Internet.

Meng, a top official in charge of public security, made the announcement on Thursday.

Mei Jianming, director of the Counterterrorism Research Center at the People's Public Security University of China, said the conference was held after the central government assessed the anti-terrorism situation following the attacks in Paris on Nov 13 that left 130 dead.

It also considered an attack in Bamako, the capital of Mali, on Nov 20 that killed 27 people, including three Chinese nationals, Mei said.

"The government also took the growing influence of Islamic State into consideration after it planned to recruit Muslims from all ethnic groups in China, posing new challenges for the country," he said.

"Although Xinjiang is the traditional battleground of the country's anti-terrorism efforts, other areas must also step up their efforts," Mei said.

"This includes eliminating religious extremism and cracking down on terror-related audio and video material. There should be no room for a weak link."

Meng said 98 percent of terrorist attacks in Xinjiang have been prevented in the planning stage.

The national guidelines will enable police to bust more terrorist cells before such groups launch attacks around China.

One of the guidelines is aimed at strengthening the nationwide terrorist intelligence-sharing system by upgrading its hardware and software, as well as better integrating intelligence gathered in Xinjiang with the national system.

Li Wei, an anti-terrorism expert at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said preventing terrorist attacks depends on such a system.

It is important for the anti-terrorism coordination center in Beijing to receive intelligence as soon as it is collected in Xinjiang and elsewhere so that further action can be taken as soon as possible to prevent casualties, Li added.

cuijia@chinadaily.com.cn

Highlights

1. Strengthen the nationwide terrorist intelligence-sharing system;

2. Destroy audio and video material related to terrorism and violence, and prevent the spread of terrorist information via instant messaging services or other online means;

3. Strengthen border controls to prevent overseas terrorists entering China;

4. Eliminate religious extremism and strengthen management of religious affairs in accordance with the law;

5. Promote successful practices to educate and transform terrorist offenders by using authentic religious doctrines;

6. Improve the emergency command system and enhance coordination among different units of the public security forces and other forces to maintain social stability;

7. Enhance anti-terrorism measures relating to railways, aviation, other public transportation and postal networks;

8. Conduct research to determine weak links in anti-terrorism work;

9. Strengthen cooperation with international anti-terrorism bodies and provide maximum protection for overseas Chinese individuals and enterprises.

Source: Committee of Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Central Committee