By Alcott Wei

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China has showcased and marketed a range of new public security equipment, including AI-assisted facial recognition surveillance devices, in an exhibition for police forces in developing countries.
The equipment was displayed at the three-day Global Public Security Cooperation Forum, which runs in the coastal city of Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, until Thursday.
According to state broadcaster CCTV, the exhibition’s theme is “Security Sharing, Development Integration”.

“Through this showcase, we hope to provide adaptive solutions to the security needs of different countries and regions, so that everyone can gain something here,” Yu Bing, deputy director of the First Research Institute of the Ministry of Public Security, said in an interview with CCTV that aired on Tuesday.
CCTV said the exhibition focused on five categories: criminal technology, police protective gear, vehicles, counterterrorism and rescue, and command and communication. Items on display include firearms, motorcycles, drones and other police equipment.
A notable feature was an intelligent command centre system, which incorporates a body camera with AI-assisted facial recognition. A supplier interviewed by CCTV said the body camera could be linked to the facial data of high-risk or sensitive individuals, and during police patrols it could use AI algorithms to identify facial features, issue alerts and simultaneously send information to the command centre.
“Once we locate the suspect’s position, we use the map displayed on the large screen on the system to mark the area. Within that area, we can identify the police officers equipped with radios and dispatch them to the scene for the arrest,” the vendor said.
The CCTV report said the system’s terminal was the shape of a smartphone and reinforced with military-grade drop resistance for police operational environments.
Facial recognition is widely applied in China’s policing system, including in the search for missing persons and to identify criminal suspects.
The annual Global Public Security Cooperation Forum was launched by China in 2022 and aims to promote international police and security exchanges.
Last year, China started showcasing its new police equipment at the forum. Organisers said that more than 800 guests and law enforcement officials from 176 countries and regions and 14 international organisations had been invited.
Senior law enforcement or police officials from Belarus, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nicaragua, Ethiopia and Armenia were among the attendees.
Public Security Minister Wang Xiaohong met them separately, calling for the strengthening of law enforcement and security cooperation mechanisms, the safeguarding of Belt and Road Initiative projects and the protection of Chinese personnel abroad, according to the ministry.

In a statement on its website on Wednesday, the ministry said that during the equipment exhibition, China would share its “experience” in public security governance and promote Chinese public security technology as high-quality services for countries worldwide.
At last year’s forum, Wang announced that China would provide training for 3,000 foreign law enforcement officers and would send police advisers and liaison officers to countries in need, guiding joint patrols and investigations.
Police cooperation has become a key aspect of China’s outreach and relations with developing countries. In July 2023, China and the Solomon Islands signed a “Police Cooperation Agreement”, upgrading their relationship to a “comprehensive strategic partnership”.