China to set up state security committee

China will establish a state security committee to improve systems and strategies to safeguard national security, according to a communique issued Tuesday after the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.

"It is unlikely that the committee will take away the power from existing state departments," said Li Wei, director of the Anti-terrorism Center at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations.

"Instead, the committee is an organization that has the power to coordinate different government organs at the highest level in response to a major emergency crisis and incidents which pose threats to the national security, such as defending China's borders and dealing with major terrorist attacks."

Li said China's national anti-terrorism team under the Ministry of Public Security can respond to terror attacks, but cannot eliminate the source of terrorism.

"China desperately needs an organization like the state security committee to develop long-term national strategies to tackle the problem from its roots," he said.