“We must be prepared for worst-case and extreme scenarios,” Xi told China’s National Security Commission in May. He called on officials to “enhance real-time monitoring” and “get prepared for actual combat.”

The sense of urgency may be heightened by the fact that Beijing is confronting some of its biggest challenges since Xi’s ascension more than a decade ago.

China to its people: Spies are everywhere, help us catch them comes via ChinaTechNews.com.