People's Armed Police

The People's Armed Police is a Chinese gendarmerie that reports to the Central Military Commission of the Chinese Communist Party and is responsible for internal security, riot control, counter-terrorism, disaster response, law enforcement and maritime rights protection, while also supporting the People's Liberation Army in wartime. It is separate from the civilian People's Police, and its officers and soldiers are active duty service members. Its roots run back to the public security units formed in 1949, which passed through several reorganizations between the army and the Ministry of Public Security before the force was created in its present form on 19 June 1982 by combining the earlier armed police, border guards and fire services. A reform that took effect on 1 January 2018 placed it under the joint command of the party central committee and the Central Military Commission and moved its non-combat corps into civil ministries, while the coast guard was brought under its command. Its strength is estimated at about 1.5 million.