Counter-terrorism Strategy with Chinese Characteristics

Absztrakt

In the past years under President Xi Jinping, Chinese foreign policy gradually started to shift into a more proactive and assertive direction. Now it is toeing the line to accept its share as a great power to maintain global security on more than just the economic and business level. One aspect of this could be observed in the field of counter-terrorism. So far, Beijing has put special emphasis on the UN’s leading role, and that China’s main responsibilities lie primarily at home in Xinjiang, as well as on the importance of economic development in treating the “root causes” of terrorism. Next of these factors is the gradually militarizing Chinese approach through the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, its military modernization, and the provisions of the 2016 Anti-Terrorism Law that finally gives – an albeit vague – definition of terrorism and some framework of future international counter-terrorism cooperation, arguing that at least in theory China hopes to build a counter-terrorism strategy “with Chinese characteristics”.