The recently concluded Central Economic Work Conference underscored a central tenet of China’s governance: sustainable development serves as the bedrock of national security. Amid a global landscape marked by geopolitical fragmentation and disruptions to supply networks, Beijing is advancing a multifaceted strategy aimed at reinforcing its economic foundations. This includes strengthening energy resilience, ensuring food self-sufficiency, accelerating technological independence, and fortifying participation in global value chains. Rather than signaling isolation, this approach reflects a strategic balance—enhancing domestic capabilities while maintaining selective international collaboration, transforming security imperatives into drivers of high-quality growth.
Introduced by President Xi Jinping in 2014, China’s holistic national security concept extends far beyond traditional military concerns, encompassing political, economic, technological, societal, and resource dimensions. Within this framework, economic stability holds a foundational role, with development seen as the most effective form of protection. Policymakers are prioritizing economic strength, competitiveness, and systemic resilience, navigating both internal priorities and external challenges in an increasingly contested global environment.
Recent global disruptions—including rising protectionism, fragmented supply networks, and vulnerabilities exposed during the pandemic—have intensified focus on economic security. Tensions arising from US-China strategic competition and the conflict in Ukraine have further emphasized the need to reduce dependence on foreign systems and enhance domestic adaptability.
These dynamics have reinforced long-standing policy directions such as the “dual circulation” model, which emphasizes the domestic market as the primary engine of growth while preserving international linkages. This strategy is being implemented across four critical areas: energy, food, technology, and global supply networks.
Energy security remains a top priority, driven by China’s status as the world’s largest energy consumer since 2009. This position brings heightened sensitivity to supply route reliability, particularly through maritime chokepoints like the Strait of Hormuz and the Strait of Malacca. To address these risks, China enacted a comprehensive energy law, establishing a unified regulatory framework. The policy follows a dual-track approach: maintaining coal as a stabilizing source while rapidly expanding solar, wind, and other renewable sources, with a goal for non-fossil fuels to account for 20 percent of total energy consumption by 2025. Additionally, efforts include diversifying crude oil suppliers, boosting domestic production, and expanding strategic petroleum reserves.
China has significantly reduced crude oil imports from the United States, shifting procurement toward nations aligned with its strategic interests—a move designed to insulate its energy supply from trade-related disruptions. To reduce reliance on sea routes, Beijing has advanced overland corridors through the Belt and Road Initiative, including pipelines from Russia and Central Asia, and infrastructure investments in ports across the Indian Ocean and Middle East, gradually broadening transport options.
Food security is treated as a core national priority. Given its population size, China cannot depend on global markets for staple food supplies. Policies focus on protecting arable land, increasing agricultural productivity, and promoting innovation to ensure stability during external shocks. The country has built one of the world’s most robust grain reserve systems, with national stockpiles reportedly exceeding international food security benchmarks. Large reserves of maize, rice, wheat, and soybeans reflect both the scale of preparedness and the intent to buffer against global price swings. However, projections suggest China will remain the largest importer of key agricultural commodities like soybeans in the near term.
Import diversification is a growing trend. Purchases from the US have declined, while volumes from Australia, Russia, Kazakhstan, and several Belt and Road partners have risen, reducing exposure to geopolitical disruptions in any single supply channel.
Technological autonomy is another critical component of national stability. The rationale is clear: no modern economy can sustain competitiveness or strategic independence without control over core technologies. Export restrictions and investment barriers from certain countries have accelerated efforts to build a self-reliant innovation ecosystem. Indicators show both urgency and measurable progress in research, high-tech manufacturing, and the development of domestic firms capable of leading in emerging sectors.
Finally, securing global value chains has become a strategic imperative, shaped by geopolitical friction and rising techno-protectionism. The Belt and Road Initiative has evolved from an infrastructure-focused project into a platform for deeper integration in logistics, digital connectivity, industry, and finance. China is also strengthening ties with raw material and energy suppliers across Eurasia and Southeast Asia, reducing vulnerability to sanctions, conflicts, or unilateral export controls. The goal is not to retreat from globalization but to ensure supply networks remain resilient and adaptable in an unpredictable world.
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Economic stability a pillar of China’s national security
The recently concluded Central Economic Work Conference reaffirmed a core principle: Development is the ultimate form of security. In today ‘s era of geopolitical fragmentation and supply chain volatility, China is advancing a comprehensive strategy to safeguard its economic foundations — bolstering energy resilience, ensuring food self-reliance, accelerating technological self-sufficiency, and reinforcing global value chains. Far from retreating into isolation, this approach reflects a calibrated effort to strengthen domestic capabilities while deepening strategic international cooperation- turning security not into a barrier, but a springboard for high-quality development. n nChina ‘s holistic approach to national security, introduced by President Xi Jinping in 2014, is a doctrine that expands the concept of security far beyond the military domain to encompass political, economic, technological, societal and resource-related dimensions. n nWithin this system, economic security is fundamental, with development regarded as the greatest form of security. Policymakers emphasize enhancing economic strength, competitiveness and resilience, while balancing domestic priorities with international cooperation and competition. n nRecent geopolitical disruptions have brought the economic dimension of this framework to the forefront. Rising protectionism, fragmented global value chains, and vulnerabilities exposed during the pandemic, combined with tensions stemming from US-China competition and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, have sharpened China ‘s focus on strengthening domestic capabilities and reducing exposure to external shocks. n nThese pressures also reinforced existing policy directions, including the “dual circulation” guideline, which gives greater weight to the domestic economic cycle while sustaining international engagement. China puts these principles into practice across four key domains of economic security: energy, food, technology and global value chains. n nEnergy security is the central pillar of China ‘s holistic national security framework, shaped by the country ‘s status as the world ‘s largest energy consumer since 2009. This position has heightened concerns about the reliability of supply routes and the geopolitical risks associated with them, particularly given China ‘s dependence on maritime choke points such as the Strait of Hormuz and the Strait of Malacca. n nA major institutional step came with the adoption of the energy law and introduced a unified legal foundation for regulating the sector. The law formalizes a dual-track strategy: reliance on coal as a stabilizing resource, alongside accelerated expansion of solar, wind and other renewables, with a target for non-fossil fuels to reach 20 percent of total energy consumption by 2025. At the same time, China emphasizes diversification of crude oil suppliers, increased domestic output, and the expansion of strategic petroleum reserves. n nChina has significantly reduced its reliance on the United States for crude oil. It redirected purchases toward suppliers aligned with its strategic and geopolitical priorities. This shift reflects a deliberate effort to reduce exposure to supply disruptions arising from US-China trade tensions. n nTo mitigate the risks associated with maritime choke points, China has simultaneously developed alternative transport corridors through the Belt and Road Initiative. Overland pipelines from Russia and Central Asia, as well as investments in port infrastructure across the Indian Ocean and Middle East, provide gradual diversification of transport routes. n nFood security in China is viewed as a core component of national security. A country of China ‘s size cannot rely heavily on global markets for basic food needs. Policy priorities therefore include preserving arable land, raising domestic productivity and advancing agricultural innovation to ensure stability amid external shocks. n nTo reinforce domestic capacity, China has built one of the world ‘s strongest grain reserve systems. National stocks are reported to exceed the international food security benchmark. n nChina holds large reserves of maize, rice, wheat and soybean, which illustrates both the scale of domestic insurance and the determination to shield the country from global volatility. Yet projections indicate China will remain the world ‘s largest importer of agricultural products such as soybeans in the near future. n nA notable trend is diversification of import sources. Reliance on the US fell sharply while imports from Australia, Russia, Kazakhstan and several Belt and Road partners increased. n nTechnology security is another key pillar of China ‘s holistic national security architecture. The strategic logic is straightforward: no modern economy can maintain stability, competitiveness, or military autonomy without control over its technological foundations. n nExternal pressures, including export controls and investment restrictions, have given impetus to building an autonomous and resilient innovation ecosystem. Quantitative indicators show both urgency and progress. n nPolicy action focuses on strengthening research and development, expanding high-tech manufacturing capacity and cultivating nationally owned firms able to compete in core and emerging technologies. Global value chain security has become an increasingly important dimension of China ‘s national strategy, shaped by geopolitical tensions, supply chain disruptions and rising techno-protectionism. n nInternationally, the Belt and Road Initiative has become a key platform for strengthening value chain security. The first phase of the BRI focused on infrastructure, while the current phase emphasizes integration across logistics, digital, industrial and financial domains. n nChina is also deepening ties with energy and commodity suppliers, particularly in Eurasia and Southeast Asia. This reduces exposure to choke points and mitigates the effects of sanctions, conflicts or unilateral export controls. The overarching objective is not disengagement from globalization but ensuring that China ‘s supply chains remain functional and adaptable in an increasingly uncertain environment. n nThe author is a senior research fellow at the Institute of International Politics and Economics, Serbia. n nThe views don ‘t necessarily represent those of China Daily. n nIf you have a specific expertise, or would like to share your thought about our stories, then send us your writings at opinion@chinadaily.com.cn, and comment@chinadaily.com.cn.