Illegal firearms and explosives collected by public security organs in Shenyang, Northeast China's Liaoning Province in 2017 Photo: VCG

China is stepping up efforts to crack down on illegal transportation and possession of weapons across the country ahead of the 70th anniversary of the People's Republic of China's founding, following the discovery of weapons being transported using delivery services. 

On August 12, police destroyed 107,000 illegal guns and large amounts of explosives confiscated in 154 cities, according to the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) circulation in its website. 

As of mid-August, China had solved 16,000 cases involving guns and related explosives, broken up 163 gangs, destroyed 117 of their bases and processed 17,000 suspects. 

Mei Jianming, a counter-terrorism professor at the Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, told the Global Times on Tuesday that security is of great importance for the National Day celebrations.

Strengthened inspection in Beijing

A military parade and mass pageant will be held in Beijing for a grand gathering to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of PRC.

At a grand evening gala in Tiananmen Square on National Day, Party and state leaders will join the public to watch performances and a fireworks show.

The scale of the parade will be greater than the ones commemorating the 50th and 60th founding anniversary of the PRC, as well as the V-Day military parade in 2015, according to Xinhua News Agency.

In order to strengthen the security during the celebration, the State Post Bureau, the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of State Security jointly issued a notice to stress the strict implementation of delivery rules. 

Items that are forbidden to be posted or delivered and those that cannot be confirmed as safe shall not be accepted or posted.

Items such as low-altitude and slow-speed small aircraft and parts, "remote-controlled landmines" and "bomb alarm clock" toys are forbidden to be sent to Beijing during the period between September 15 and October 2, 2019, according to the State Post Bureau.

Spreading across China

Many other cities joined the work of safeguarding local security ahead of the National Day celebration.

Thousands of people from the local police, firefighters, militia and social organizations in Tongxiang, East China's Zhejiang Province have vowed to ensure safety on Wednesday ahead of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the PRC and the 6th World Internet Conference held in the city, the Zhejiang Daily reported.

In Xiamen, East China's Fujian Province, 2,500 police officers and volunteers also vowed to safeguard the security of the 70th anniversary in a ceremony on Tuesday. 

A drill was conducted afterwards, involving armored cars, removal of mines and drones, Xiamen Daily reported recently on its official WeChat account.

The public security bureau of Xingtai, North China's Hebei Province, is also making efforts to maintain security and stability via strengthening measures against illegal fireworks.

At a press conference on August 15, Xingtai Public Security Bureau released the results of its latest investigations, saying that 26 suspects, 14 gunpowder-powered guns, 33 pneumatic-powered guns, more than 30,000 semi-completed bullets and over 50 kilograms of black powder have been found.

The suspects maintained contact with instant messaging tools such as QQ and WhatsApp, recruiting agents and accepting orders with down payments. 

The guns and bullets had been transferred from Hong Kong illegally to the Chinese mainland, the release said. 

The 32 suspects in the network were involved in the manufacture, sales, and storage of firearms, ammunition and explosives. Further investigations are underway. 

"For years, China's political and legal departments have maintained a high level of pressure against all kinds of vicious crimes. Compared with the past decade, the number of gun-related cases in China is lower, and China is also seeing a lower case rate than many other countries," Mei analyzed. 

"The move in 154 cities has demonstrated the public security department's achievements in controlling crimes. At the same time, such campaigns have created synergy in the broad masses of social forces to participate in maintaining social stability and building a safe society," Mei said. 


Newspaper headline: Weapons crackdown