Asia Policy Program Director Dr. Sheena Chestnut Greitens recently co-authored a paper for The Carnegie Endowment of International Peace examining how China’s Ministry of Public Security (MPS) has transformed into a major global security actor. Since 2006, China has signed at least 205 police and security cooperation agreements with over seventy-four countries. Utilizing a new dataset of 170 bilateral and 35 multilateral agreements, the authors highlight that these partnerships primarily focus on nontraditional security threats including transnational crime, narcotics, and counterterrorism. These national security interests align with Xi Jinping’s Global Security Initiative and his vision for protecting overseas Chinese interests.

“Under Xi Jinping, the Ministry of Public Security has become a major global security actor,” writes Greitens. “Police and security cooperation agreements are important tools used by MPS to build relationships and partner with foreign counterparts around the world. The overlap between security cooperation agreements, police diplomacy, and foreign police training suggest that China’s internal security apparatus continues to actively engage with foreign counterparts, using a range of tools to advance China’s vision of security in today’s global security environment.”