The Chinese People's Armed Police Force was established on June 19, 1982. It consists of internal security forces, gold mine, forest, water conservancy, electricity power, and transportation forces.

The frontier police force, fire brigades and security guards are also included into the Armed Police Force. The internal security forces are composed of contingents and mobile divisions.

The Armed Police Force is constructed in accordance with the PLA's guiding concept, purpose and principles of army building, as well as its orders, rules and regulations, combined with characteristics of the Armed Police Force. It implements the Military Service Law of the PRC, and enjoys the same benefits as that of the PLA.

The basic missions of the Armed Police Force are to maintain state security and social stability, protect facilities and objects significant to the state, safeguard people's lives and properties, and assist the PLA in wartime in defensive operations.

The Armed Police Force is subordinate to the State Council, and is under the dual leadership of the State Council and the CMC. The Armed Police Force receives unified leadership and management, and its command is delegated to a relevant organ at each level.

The Armed Police Force has three echelons of leadership, namely, general headquarters, contingent (division) and detachment (regiment). The General Headquarters of the Armed Police Force, as the chief commanding organ of the Armed Police Force, commands and administers internal security forces, and gold mine, forest, water conservancy, electricity power, and transportation forces.

In the nationwide administrative hierarchy, the Armed Police contingents, detachments, and squadrons are instituted at province, prefecture, and county levels respectively. When performing a public security task or relevant work, the Armed Police Force unit is subordinate to the leadership and command of the public security organs at the same level.

In peacetime, the tasks of the Armed Police Force include performing guard duties at fixed points, dealing with contingencies, combating terrorism and supporting national economic development. Guard duties at fixed points chiefly means, among others, security guard, watch and ward, prison and detention guard, escort and patrol.

It is specifically responsible for protecting the security of state-designated objects to be guarded, important visiting foreign dignitaries, leading organs of the Party and government at and above the provincial level, embassies and consulates of foreign countries in China, important national and international conferences, and sites of large-scale cultural and sports activities; posting peripheral armed guards at prisons and detention houses; providing armed protection for key departments in charge of confidential work and critical parts of important airports, radio stations, state economic departments, and national defense works, as well as important bridges and tunnels along trunk railway lines, and specially designated large road bridges; and performing armed patrol and other security duties in state-designated large and medium-sized cities or specific zones.

Dealing with contingencies chiefly means handling, according to law, sudden illegal incidents endangering state security or social order, such as revolts, riots and disturbances, fights with weapons and other group activities that endanger public security. Combating terrorism chiefly means performing anti-attack, anti-hijacking and anti-explosion tasks. Supporting national economic development chiefly means gold mine prospecting, preventing and fighting forest fire, participation in key state energy and transportation projects, and emergency rescue and disaster relief in cases of serious calamities.

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