Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, on Wednesday conferred the flag on China's police force, ordering them to be loyal to the Party, serve the people, enforce the law impartially and be strict in discipline.

Noting the Chinese police is an important force for public security administration and criminal justice, Xi said the main tasks for the Chinese police are to safeguard national security, maintain social order, ensure the citizen's personal safety and that of their freedom and property, protect public property, and prevent, stop and punish violations of law.

The absolute loyalty, purity and reliability of the police forces should be ensured, Xi said.

He said the forces should remain committed to the people-centered philosophy of development and stay focused on both internal and external security.

Xi also urged the Chinese police to work hard wholeheartedly to enhance the people's sense of gain, happiness and security, and resolutely complete the mission and tasks assigned by the Party and the people.

In terms of law enforcement, President Xi stressed that the police should adhere to the maintenance of social fairness and justice, strengthen education and training, enhance strict supervision and management, standardize the operation of power and fully satisfy the requirements for enforcing law in a strict, fair and civilized way. He demanded efforts to constantly improve the credibility of law enforcement and let the people see that justice is served in every case.

Xi said police should be run with strict discipline. "We should be both strict and caring, and place equal emphasis on providing incentives and imposing constraints," he added.

Chinese police must be groomed to be as strong as iron in their belief, faith, discipline and sense of responsibility and dedicate themselves to serving the public, he said.

The flag is mainly red and blue with the police emblem printed on the upper left.

Representatives of the police force told China Media Group (CMG) in an exclusive interview that they felt so impassioned, inspired and proud by witnessing this historic moment in the Great Hall of the People. They pledged to be loyal to the Party, serve the people and be the loyal guardians of the country.

(Cover: Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, confers the police flag on China's police force and addresses the ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, August 26, 2020. /Xinhua)