When the premier of the State Council, Li Qiang, delivered the 2026 Government Work Report to the National People’s Congress on March 5, he stressed the importance of advancing the Peaceful China Initiative. A brainchild of President Xi Jinping, the initiative has various objectives. It not only seeks to make the country safer, society more orderly, and governance more effective, but also aspires to make people more satisfied. Li said every effort had been made to safeguard national security and social stability, which was why “robust measures were taken to prevent and crack down on illegal and criminal activities of all types in accordance with the law”.

At a time when all types of crime are proliferating in the West (not least street crime), China remains one of the safest places in the world. This is often remarked upon by foreign visitors, for good reason. In the Global Safety Report 2025, prepared by Gallup, the US-based analytics and polling company, China was ranked the third-safest among the more than 140 countries and territories surveyed. It enjoyed low rates of violent crime, including for offenses associated with firearms and explosives.

Within Asia, the Numbeo Safety Index 2025, which ranks cities and countries by perceived safety, crime levels, and the risk of theft or violence, placed China at the top.

By contrast, Numbeo adjudged the United Kingdom’s cities as among the most dangerous in Europe. Whereas Bradford took first place, Coventry (third), Birmingham (fourth), Manchester (12th), and London (15th) followed. Some famous French cities were also exposed, including Marseille (second), Grenoble (sixth), Montpellier (seventh), Nantes (ninth), Paris (10th), Lyon (11th), and Nice (13th). Cities in Italy, Belgium and Sweden also featured highly, including, respectively, Naples (fifth), Liege (eighth) and Malmo (14th). Anybody considering visiting Europe, particularly vacationers, should think twice, if not three times. If they value their safety (and that of their families), they would be well-advised, if at all possible, to consider visiting Shanghai, Hong Kong, or Beijing instead.

After all, on March 11, the renowned British city guide Time Out announced in its 2026 World’s Best Cities List that Shanghai ranked second (the highest-ranked Asian city), Hong Kong 15th, and Beijing 30th. The global survey, now in its 10th year, evaluates cities based on livability and travel appeal. Over 150 cities worldwide were assessed, with responses from over 24,000 residents and votes from over 100 experts tasked with identifying the most agreeable cities to live in and visit.

In the coming year, the judicial organs, with an eye on the bigger picture, will undoubtedly build on these successes

It would, however, be a mistake for anybody to assume China’s high rankings are mere happenstance. Rather, they are a testament to the efforts of everyone involved in its law enforcement. The anti-crime initiatives of recent years are more than bearing fruit, and criminal activity is down in many (but by no means all) areas.

Indeed, when the prosecutor-general of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP), Ying Yong, presented the annual SPP work report to the NPC on March 9, he noted that 664,000 criminal suspects were arrested last year, a 11.7 percent decrease from 2024. Although there were 1.4 million public prosecutions in 2025, this was down by 13.9 percent on the previous year.

However, there was no tolerance of serious violent crime, with 54,000 people prosecuted for offenses that included homicide, kidnapping and robbery.

Whereas prosecutors also struck at organized crime networks, with 9,870 suspects prosecuted for involvement in Mafia-type activities (with 65 officials accused of providing them with “protective umbrellas”), a further 39,000 individuals faced punishment for their complicity in crimes involving human trafficking, firearms and explosives, and dealing in dangerous drugs.

The SPP’s technology crime experts also targeted online criminality. A total of 182,000 suspects were charged with committing crimes through the internet, including cyberbullying, extortion, and “troll” operations.

As China develops its potential as an economic superpower, the integrity of its financial arrangements must be ensured. It was, therefore, reassuring when Ying disclosed that fraudulent activity was being taken very seriously. In 2025, for example, 69,000 suspects were prosecuted for telecom fraud, with cross-border criminal syndicates also targeted, notably those operating in Myanmar. There was also intolerance for corruption, with 9,174 individuals prosecuted for associated crimes in State-owned enterprises and the financial and energy sectors.

Throughout 2025, China’s judiciary complemented prosecutors’ efforts, meting out harsh punishments whenever necessary. In his work report, the chief justice of the Supreme People’s Court, Zhang Jun, highlighted the effectiveness of judicial measures. But as prosecutions in many areas were down, it was no surprise that the number of concluded trials also decreased last year. For example, there were 46,000 trials for crimes of violence, a 7.3 percent decrease from 2024.

However, the courts also had a wider focus, involving national development. As Zhang explained, the judiciary was committed to protecting the capital market and promoting its high-quality development. This prompted Huang Hailong, the president of the High People’s Court of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, to observe, “Safety is the foundation for development and what people hope for.”

According to both work reports, the judiciary played its role in strengthening the legal guarantees necessary to sustain national development. In 2025, the courts finalized about 25,000 cases involving securities, futures, and funds, an increase of 53.6 percent over the previous year.

Intellectual property rights (IPRs) also received greater judicial protection. Approximately 19,000 individuals were punished for IPR infringement crimes in 2025, an increase of 6.2 percent over 2024. Once IPR protections are strengthened, it will be easier for China to achieve breakthroughs in core technologies and to develop its productive forces.

In the coming year, the judicial organs, with an eye on the bigger picture, will undoubtedly build on these successes. This will necessarily involve the use of new technologies to combat crime, greater efforts to counter economic and financial crimes that endanger national development, and a zero-tolerance approach to the corruption that threatens the country from within. Much of the work will be challenging and complex, but the two work reports inspire confidence that prosecutors and judges are more than equal to the tasks they face.

The author is a senior counsel and law professor, and was previously the director of public prosecutions of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.