Terrorism surging in China: blue paper

Domestic terrorism surged last year as China faces threats to social stability, read the nation's first blue paper on national security published on Tuesday.

Issued by the University of International Relations and the Social Sciences Academic Press, the report found that domestic terrorism appeared to have expanded.

Government bodies and police forces are the main targets of terrorists, often armed with weapons and overseas connections.

The country suffered 10 terrorist attacks in 2013. The most influential took place on October 28 when a jeep plowed into crowds on Tiananmen Square in Beijing, killed five including three terrorists inside the vehicle, and injuring another 40.

The East Turkestan Islamic Movement later claimed responsibility for the attack.

The establishment of the National Security Commission marked an effective strategic move to protect national security as domestic forces may not suffice in combating attacks of an international scope when terrorism has been reviving around the globe, the report said.

The commission, headed by President Xi Jinping, is mainly responsible for national security strategy and policy design and implementation, while promoting legislation on national security.

It is also the top decision-making and coordination organ for national security issues, with the power and ability to mobilize cross-departmental resources to tackle both domestic and overseas threats.

Terrorist attacks and social stability are the top two concerns of national security among other issues including environmental pollution and food safety, said Feng Zhongping, vice president of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

"International relations will also have a big impact on China's national security. Major powers' China policies, such as the US, the EU and Russia, have become big security concerns along with interests on territorial issues," Feng said.

He noted that China should consider forming an alliance with Russia as Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested, while strengthening its strategic partnership with the European Union.

China should also work on building a new type of major power relationship with the US to boost mutual respect and benefits.

"China, the EU and the US will bring major influence on the international economic and trade system in the next decade. The three must closely cooperate to realize a win-win situation," Feng said.

Meanwhile, overseas Chinese have been exposed to higher security risks as the nation expands its interests in the world with a rising trend of terrorism, the report warned.