Ministry of Public Security (China)

The Ministry of Public Security (MPS; Chinese: 公安部; pinyin: Gōng'ānbù) is the primary law enforcement agency of the People's Republic of China (PRC). A constituent department of the State Council, the ministry oversees more than 1.9 million of the country's law enforcement officers and as such the vast majority of the People's Police. While the MPS is a nationwide police force, conducting counterintelligence and maintaining the political security of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) are also core functions. The ministry was established in 1949 after the CCP's victory in the Chinese Civil War as the successor to the Central Social Affairs Department and was known as Ministry of Public Security of the Central People's Government until 1954. Military intelligence affairs remained with the General Staff Department. Most of its counterintelligence responsibilities were taken over by the Ministry of State Security with its creation in 1983. The Ministry previously held joint command over the People's Armed Police together with the Central Military Commission; in 2018, the PAP's command was placed solely under the CMC. The ministry's functions and responsibilities include criminal investigations, managing detention centers, counterterrorism, counternarcotics, transport security, traffic safety, anti-smuggling intelligence gathering and maintaining public security. It employs a system of public security bureaus throughout the provinces, cities, municipalities and townships of China. The special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau maintain separate police forces. The ministry is headed by the minister of public security. Wang Xiaohong has been the minister in charge since June 2022.