Chinese security minister directs police to crackdown on 'colour revolutions'

A top Chinese security official has asked the police to crackdown on the "colour revolutions" or popular uprisings, and directed them to defend China's political system headed by the ruling Communist Party.

China's police must stress on the "prevention and resistance of 'colour revolutions' and firmly fight to protect China's political security," Public Security Minister Zhao Kezhi said.

"(We) must firmly defend our national security, with regime and system security at its core, and firmly defend the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and our nation's socialist system," he was quoted as saying on Thursday at the annual meeting of the Public Security Ministry.

"Strike back against all kinds of infiltration and subversive activities by hostile foreign forces," he said.

The CPC, which is due to celebrate its 70th year in power this year, jealously guards the one-party system. All organs of the state including the powerful military and police besides courts, function under its authority.

President Xi Jinping, who is now regarded as president for life following an amendment to the Constitution removing the two-term limit for the presidency, also heads the CPC and the military, making him the most powerful leader in China since Mao Zedong.

The "colour revolutions" refers to various uprisings and insurgencies in the world.

Chinese security forces have been conducting massive crackdowns against the East Turkestan Islamic Movement militants in Xinjiang, neighbouring Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), and Afghanistan.