PLA to Share Responsibility for Olympic Security

29 June 2007

China state-owned Xinhua News Agency reported on 28 June that the PLA will be sharing the responsibilities with other organisations for the security of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Game, including providing air and maritime securities, dealing with unconventional terrorism activities, and offering assistance in intelligence and information security.

Tian Yi-Xiang, the head of the Military Department under the 2008 Olympic Game Security Command Centre, told the foreign Military Attachés on 28 June that the three service branches of the PLA, the Army, the Air Force, and the Navy, would all be “fully involved in the the security of the Beijing Olympic Game”.

He said that police forces, professional security staffs, and volunteers would undertake the majority tasks of the security during the Beijing Olympic, while the military will be providing assistance in dealing with “unconventional threats”, such as nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) terrorism activities.

Tian confirmed that the PLA had already set up a command organ responsible for the command and control of the PLA units in the Olympic security mission. Mobilisation of the units and draft of the training schedule had also been completed. The specialised training in security mission was also underway.

To ensure the security of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Game, a joint leading body consisting of senior officials and personnel from law enforcement departments, the People’s Armed Police (PAP) Force, and the PLA has been set up since late 2004. This leading body has two subordinated organisations, the Olympic Security Command Centre and the Intelligence Centre.

According to the report, the PLA will be mainly responsible for seven major missions during the Olympic Game:

• Air security for all venues of the game
• Maritime security for water sports venues in the coastal area
• To assist the police forces and the PAP in counter-terrorism missions
• Disaster relief and rescue missions
• To offer assistance in border control
• To offer assistance in intelligence and information security
• To offer assistance in any other temporary tasks