China has plenty of Prada and an economy to match, but don’t think Beijing has gone soft on “stability preservation.” A speech published by state media shortly after a prominent dissident was thrown in the can encourages security forces to “Strike hard against hostile forces at home and abroad.”

The exact meaning of that phrase and the accompanying speech is a matter for soothsayers and China scholars, of which there has never been a shortage. What is known is that Big Red is as sensitive as ever to rumblings in the provinces of Xinjian and Tibet, as well as other “hostile forces stirring up chaos and sabotage.” — PZS

Reuters via Yahoo:

In a speech on December 18 to security officials, published only on Monday, Yang singled out perceived threats from political foes of the ruling Communist Party, including separatist sentiment in the far-western regions of Tibet and Xinjiang.

“The schemes of Western anti-China forces seeking to Westernize and split us, friction and disputes between countries, and hostile forces stirring up chaos and sabotage … remain major factors affecting our national security and social stability,” Yang said in his address.

“Strike hard against hostile forces at home and abroad. “Strive to anticipate and prevent, staging pre-emptive attacks.”

“Hostile forces” is a sweeping Chinese term for perceived political threats to Communist Party rule.

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