By Shannon Tiezzi
Guo Shengkun urged a stronger response to terrorism, and he has plenty of ideas on what needs to be done.
China’s minister of public security urged a stronger crackdown on terrorism this week at a meeting convened by the ministry and the leading small group on anti-terrorism. Guo Shengkun, who heads both the MPS and the anti-terrorism leading group, called on every region and relevant department in China to “grasp the new direction and new changes in the current international and domestic struggle against terrorism.”
China must “strengthen” the measures it is taking to fight terrorism in order to ensure stability and security for the country’s government and society, Guo said. He urged all departments and regions of China to place a higher priority on the fight against terrorism.
Guo singled out for special mention the need to prevent the spread of terrorist materials online, adding an interesting angle to China’s insistence on the need for “order” online at the World Internet Conference this week. That same point was highlighted last year by a CCTV documentary highlighting the Internet’s role in fostering terrorism. Guo’s speech comes just over a week after Islamic State released a new Mandarin-language propaganda recording, ordering Muslims to “wake up” and “rebel” against their oppressors. Beijing believes the spread of extremist material – especially via the internet – the major cause of the uptick in terrorist activities in China.
Read the full story at The Diplomat