The Chinese military has been striving to safeguard the nation’s security and interests in outer space and cyberspace, a newly-published white paper stated.

China’s National Defense in the New Era, made public by the State Council Information Office on July 24, gives outer space and cyberspace the same weight as that of the nuclear force in China’s national security, calling them “the major security fields”.

This is the second time the security issues of outer space and cyberspace have been included in China’s military white paper.

Compared with the first time the topics were raised in 2015, the texts pertaining to outer space and cyberspace in the new document are shorter but use stronger wording in an apparent attempt to emphasize the increased importance of these spheres.

Senior Colonel Yan Wenhu, a researcher on military strategy at the Academy of Military Science of the People’s Liberation Army, said that the military attached a higher level of importance to outer space and cyberspace in the new white paper because those domains have become closely connected with the country’s security and development.

“As the scale of our national interests keeps expanding to more dimensions, the country’s very existence and development are increasingly dependent on outer space, cyberspace and deep sea, and are facing challenges and threats from these fields,” he said. “The militarization of outer space and cyberspace by some world powers is on a fast track, and they are adopting technological edges and unfair rules to try to contain our peaceful use of outer space and cyberspace.”

The white paper says that outer space is a critical domain in international strategic competition, and its security is strategically significant to national and social development.

With its goal of developing outer space for peaceful purposes, China is actively taking part in international cooperation endeavors in space.

The country is continuing its research and development of related technologies and capabilities, implementing integrated management of space-based information, tracking and monitoring space-related situations, protecting its space assets, and improving its exploration capability and development of space resources, according to the document.

In addition, the white paper lists cyberspace security as a “key area for national security, economic growth and social development”. It says that China is facing severe security threats from cyberspace.

In response, the Chinese military has been accelerating the construction of cyberspace forces and making all-out efforts to build defensive measures and capabilities commensurate with China’s international status.

It will continue strengthening the country’s “internet border defense”, detecting and fighting against cyberspace invasion and ensuring information safety.

“(The military) firmly safeguards national cyberspace sovereignty, information security and social stability,” the white paper reads.

According to Zhou Hongyi, chairman of China’s biggest cybersecurity firm Qihoo 360, his company has identified more than 40 high-level cyberattacks known as advanced persistent threats that were directed at China by foreign organizations over the past several years.