Chinese State Councilor and Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong delivers a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 2023 Conference of Global Public Security Cooperation Forum in Lianyungang, east China's Jiangsu province, Sept 20, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

A China-proposed public security initiative was approved at the 2023 Conference of Global Public Security Cooperation Forum in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province as it closed on Thursday, pledging greater cooperation among signatories on emerging criminal challenges.

The Initiative on Deepening Cooperation for Shared Global Public Security covers transnational cross-border crimes and their new forms, new types of crimes and precautions against the security risks of emerging technologies, such as terrorism, drug-related crime and human trafficking, and cybersecurity and data security.

The initiative will establish a collaborative mechanism among different industries, sectors, countries and regions, and promote international standards and procedures for cooperation. Non-governmental sectors will be encouraged and supported to participate in global public security governance.

High-quality public security goods will be provided and the exchange and sharing of public security information resources will be enhanced, according to the initiative.

The 2023 Conference of Global Public Security Cooperation Forum in Lianyungang reached a consensus on conducting research into creating the Global Public Security Index

Rong Ying, deputy head of the China Institute of International Studies, said that the current international security situation is complex, and traditional and nontraditional security issues are intertwined, posing new challenges.

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It is necessary for everyone to re-examine the connotation and extension of security issues, explore new ideas and models for public security governance, and achieve common security and shared development, Rong said.

"The international community, especially the developing countries, actively respond to and support the global security initiative, and look forward to further strengthening exchanges and cooperation with China to jointly promote the implementation of the initiative," he said.

The forum also reached a consensus on conducting research into creating the Global Public Security Index.

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The index aims to objectively reflect the current global public security situation, scientifically measure the public security governance of all countries, forecast public security risks and hazards, respond with more effective countermeasures, and improve the collective governance capacity through pragmatic international exchanges and cooperation.

The index includes four dimensions at this stage — public order and safety, status of global efforts to counter terrorism, cybersecurity, and road traffic accident statistics.

Other dimensions closely related to public security could be included as indicators later, such as ecological environment security, economic and financial security, food and drug security and social stability.

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Data for the dimensions would be collected from annual data released on the official websites of the United Nations' subsidiary organs, data released by various government departments of all countries, and data and reports released by think tanks of all countries.

Tsang Wai-hung, chair of the conference, said that the Consensus Document on Global Public Security Index emphasizes the principle of openness, transparency and impartiality and respects the universal values of mankind. It also takes into account the specific conditions of different countries and respect their different ideologies and levels of development.