Human Security in Practice: The Chinese Experience

This paper has tried to address the three research questions this project raises by elaborating on how the idea of human security is understood or defined by the government and social actors in China; how the distinction between the “protection” aspect and “empowerment” aspect of human security is understood and accepted; and what particular downside risks are perceived as pressing human security issues in China - the major ones include air pollution, food security, and cyber security. The facts reveal that although as a term “human security” is not frequently used, there have been various human security practices in China. The idea of human security has been firmly established and threats to human security detected. For both the government and academic community in China, human security and state security are not necessarily confrontational but rather can be combined and they can complement each other. The recent developments in China are pointing in a healthy direction in terms of human security in the country.