Ministry of Public Security Guard Bureau
(People's Armed Police Guard Troops)

Last updated: 4 February 2008

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The Public Security Guard (PSG) (gongan jingwei budui) is a special police branch responsible for the protection of senior government officials and important foreign visitors. It is a government law enforcement agency that is part of the PRC Ministry of Public Security (MPS), and in name a branch of the People’s Armed Police (PAP). However, in reality, the PAP has no direct authority over the PSG. Its functions are by the 8th Bureau (Guard Bureau) of MPS, and the field offices in every province and major city across the country.

A limousine of the Guard Bureau (Chinese Internet)

The 8th Bureau shares the responsibility of government VIP protection with the Central Guard Bureau (CGB). While the CGB is charge of the protection of top party and government leaders, top military leaders, and visiting foreign leaders, the 8th Bureau is responsible for the protection of other senior government officials, including the Vice President, the Vice Premiers of the State Council, the Vice Chairman of the National People’s Congress (NPC), the Vice Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the President of the Supreme People’s Court, the Procurator-General of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate. The 8th Bureau is also responsible for protecting senior foreign officials during their visits to China, as well as safeguarding large public events and important government and party conferences held in Beijing.

The Provincial Public Security Agency (sheng gongan ting) in each province-level entity of the PRC (province, autonomous region, and municipality) has a subordinated Guard Bureau (jingwei ju), which is responsible for the protection of the senior officials in the local province party branch and government, and important foreign visitors. The Public Security Bureau in each major city also has a Guards Section (jingwei chu) responsible for guarding party and government officials during their visits to the local areas.

PSG members all have dual identities, being both PAP active servicemen and public security (police) officers, with full power of law enforcement. They are given both olive-green PAP uniforms and black-blue police uniforms, and wear the uniforms according to their missions and situations.