How China is rewriting global security playbook

In a world traditionally dominated by military might, China is quietly reshaping global security through police power, surveillance technology, and internal security cooperation. As noted by Sheena Chestnut Greitens, associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin, in an opinion piece for the Financial Times, the recent Global Public Security Cooperation Forum in Lianyungang exemplifies Beijing’s ambition to redefine what global security looks like — moving the focus away from armies and toward police forces and surveillance systems.

The forum, which has grown rapidly from its modest beginnings in 2022 to attract some 2,000 participants this year, serves as China’s flagship platform for promoting a vision of “Peaceful China” to the world. Unlike conventional military diplomacy, Beijing’s approach emphasises internal security and crime prevention, highlighting China’s low homicide, terrorism, and overall crime rates as evidence of the effectiveness of its policing methods. Chinese citizens, as Greitens notes, even draw comparisons between China’s surveillance-led law enforcement and high-profile, slow-moving criminal investigations abroad, such as the recent murder case of Charlie Kirk in the U.S.

Central to this strategy is the global marketing of Chinese surveillance technology. From AI-enabled police cameras to data-driven tracking systems, Beijing is exporting both tools and methods, demonstrating a model where citizens’ behaviour can be continuously monitored and controlled. Huawei’s promotion that “criminals — or dissidents — have nowhere to hide” underscores the dual-use nature of these technologies: maintaining public order while suppressing dissent. These tools are not confined to domestic use; they are being deployed abroad, with early adopters including the Solomon Islands and other developing nations.

China’s push is further legitimised through institutional support. Interpol President Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi has lent the organisation’s backing to the forum, even amid concerns that Interpol has facilitated Beijing’s transnational repression, particularly against Uyghur activists. By associating its internal security framework with internationally recognised institutions, China positions itself as both a model and a provider of global public security solutions.

Another striking element is China’s attempt to quantify security performance on a global scale. The forum’s forthcoming Global Public Security Index Report evaluates 50 countries on public safety, counterterrorism, cybersecurity, and traffic safety. Last year, the inaugural report placed China at the top and the U.S. near the bottom, illustrating Beijing’s effort to reframe global perceptions of what constitutes effective security governance.

Greitens’ analysis highlights that China is appealing not just to autocracies but also to nations facing internal security challenges where high-tech policing is more relevant than conventional military hardware. By offering practical solutions that combine surveillance, policing, and state control, China is creating an alternative global security order that bypasses U.S.-led frameworks and slowly normalises its model worldwide.

By Vugar Khalilov