Natl security, freedom of speech not at odds

Source:Global Times Published: 2015-4-22 0:08:01

The second draft of China's national security law was reviewed during a session of the National People's Congress Standing Committee on Monday. Among the new areas involved in this draft law, the description regarding cultural security has attracted the most attention. According to media outlets, the draft added the rules over "reinforcing education and dissemination of socialist core values," which will "prevent infiltration of harmful moral standards," while calling for the establishment of "systems for cyber and information security and national cyber sovereignty."

Is cultural security a crucial part of overall national security? Some online activists  dismissed the idea in no time. However, the answer is undoubtedly yes in the view of security experts.

Culture, including ideology, is the fundamental factor of a nation's political cohesiveness. It is impossible for a country to stay stable if national separatism or national chauvinism prevails. If the ideology of socialist countries is to be thoroughly reinvented by capitalist societies' specific value systems, the national security of the former will face some daunting challenges.

Culture is involved in every national security law or homeland security act among major countries. According to the US Homeland Security Act, every president must submit a report on the national security strategy of the country. And in its 2010 report, respecting universal values at home and around the world was placed as one of the primary goals of Washington's global strategy. In addition, the dissemination of Islamic extremism has been hit hard by the US and European countries.

Some Chinese people expressed concerns that the enhanced safeguarding of cultural security might disrupt the openness of culture, and weaken the freedom of speech. Such fears need to be heard by lawmakers. Yet in the meantime, they should not become a barrier which stops the public from understanding the urgency of learning cultural security. Both cultural security and free speech are needed in China. Current as well as future generations of Chinese people should have enough capability and boldness to establish an integration and balance between the two, rather than setting them against each other.

Free speech must not endanger national security; this is the universal bottom line beyond political systems or governance mechanisms. Peddling the notion that freedom of speech is paramount above all else, including national security, is a violation of basic political and judicial logic, which will do no good for the actual development of free speech while increasing domestic divergences and sensitivities.

Cultural security is the one source of a country's feeling of security. Once cultural security grows stronger, people will have not only increasing confidence to ensure the blossoming of cultural development, but also a more stable state of mind in terms of interaction with the outside world.

Freedom of expression that disregards national security is unsustainable. It might bring a nine days' wonder, but will lead to disastrous consequences, under which society cannot survive for long.

The current revised draft of the new national security law is only a draft for discussion. Many of its wordings are not necessarily the final rules. We hope the discussion will be a constructive process, and it will not be derailed by radical perspectives.



Posted in: Editorial

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