China: Safe place to travel, stay and do business

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“China is probably the safest place I have ever been to,” said Einar Tangen, a current affairs commentator. Having been a globetrotter and living in China for 13 years, he said China is absolutely a good place to travel, stay and do business.

Tangen made the comments after Numbeo, an Internet Database website published a report in which China ranks high regarding public security.

The report shows China ranks ahead of many developed countries regarding security.

China has a safety index of 60.6, while the UK stands at about 59. France and the US lag behind with safety indices of around 54 and 50 respectively.

China also has a lower crime index, which comes in at around 39, several points better than that of the UK, Australia, France, and the US.

Unlike residents in countries like the US, people in China can freely roam the streets at midnight without worrying about being attacked or harassed, Tangen observed. Children could ride on the subway on their own. He said a lot of people might feel surprised when they first come to China as things could be very different from their hometowns.

Einar Tangen, a current affairs commentator, said China is probably the safest place he ever visited. /CGTN Photo

Tangen attributed the high-ranking public safety to Chinese collective culture and traditions of public discussion on how people should behave.

Chinese people generally share a strong sense of collectivism. Individuals feel they are responsible for the larger group they belong to and tend to behave themselves in public, which leads to better public behavior and low crime rates. Moreover, the historically public debate on people’s behavior is common. Rounds of such debates also help to enhance public behavior and security.

There are, however, new challenges for China’s public safety, including increasing transnational crimes brought by globalization, and high-tech crimes which are hard to track. The Chinese government is being innovative and striving to adapt to the new problems.

Tangen said China is leading the world regarding implementing facial recognition and other technologies to keep the society safe. He also argues that China should be strict when tackling crimes, otherwise people will not be able to enjoy the safety they currently have.