Armed Police Force

The People's Armed Police Force (PAPF) is a component of China's armed forces and subordinate to the State Council; it is under the dual leadership of the State Council and the Central Military Commission. It consists of the internal security force and various police forces, such as border public security, firefighting and security guard forces. It is charged with the fundamental task of safeguarding national security, maintaining social stability and ensuring that the people live and work in peace and contentment.

Routine Guard Duties (Mainly Performed by the Internal Security Force)

Guard against all forms of attempted attacks and sabotage; protect designated individuals and facilities; ensure the security of important international and national conferences and large-scale cultural and sports events; protect important airports, radio stations, and key and confidential units, and vital places in such sectors as state economy and national defense; protect important bridges and tunnels; ensure the security of prisons and detention houses; and maintain public order in state-designated large and medium-sized cities or specific zones.

Public Emergency Operations (Mainly Undertaken by Standing Forces)

Such public emergency operations include those to handle public security incidents, natural disasters, disastrous accidents, and public health incidents. The specific tasks are to control affected areas, check the identifications, vehicles and belongings of suspected persons, protect important targets, disperse illegal assemblies, rescue hostages and those trapped by troublemakers, guard against illegal activities and criminal offenses, hunt down criminal suspects, and participate in emergency rescue and disaster relief work.

International Counter-Terrorism Cooperation

China attaches great importance to international counter-terrorism cooperation, and so far has participated in 11 international counter-terrorism treaties. The PAPF is an important counter-terrorism force of the state. In compliance with international counter-terrorism treaties and agreements, the PAPF has sent delegations to over 30 countries for bilateral or multi-lateral counter-terrorism exchanges, including France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Australia, Israel, Brazil, Cuba, South Africa, Russia and Pakistan, and hosted similar delegations from 17 countries, including Russia, Romania, France, Italy, Hungary, South Africa, Egypt, Australia and Belarus. It has sent delegations or personnel to a dozen countries to attend training courses in special duties, participate in or observe contests of various kinds, and conduct exchanges in counter-terrorism techniques and skills. It has sent teams of instructors to such countries as Romania and Azerbaijan to provide teaching or training assistance. In addition, the PAPF and the Internal Troops of Russia staged their first joint counter-terrorism exercise, "Cooperation-2007," in accordance with the Declaration on the Establishment of Shanghai Cooperation Organization and Shanghai Convention against Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism on September 2007.

Maintaining Border and Coastal Security

The border public security force, listed as a component of the PAPF, is an important armed law-enforcement body deployed by the state in border and coastal areas and at ports. Its main responsibilities are: border and coastal control administration; border and maritime public security administration; border inspection and surveillance; patrols and surveillance along the border with Hong Kong and Macao; patrols and surveillance along the demarcation line of the Beibu Gulf; and the prevention of and crackdown on illegal and criminal acts in border and coastal areas, such as illegal border crossing, smuggling and drug trafficking.

The border public security force has 30 contingents in provinces (autonomous regions or municipalities directly under the Central Government, except Beijing); 110 detachments in border and coastal prefectures (prefecture-level cities, autonomous prefectures or leagues) and 20 marine police detachments in coastal prefectures; 207 active-duty border inspection stations at open ports; 310 groups in border and coastal counties (county-level cities or banners); 1,691 border police substations in border and coastal townships (towns); 46 frontier inspection stations on major border routes; and 113 mobile groups deployed in important sectors in border areas.