China’s costly metro security is straining resources to get economic engine back on track
- Analysts see pros to the security, including guarding against terrorist attacks, but as the public waits in long queues, expenses have people asking how much is too much
At the forefront of subway security, Beijing’s measures taken for the 2008 Olympics have since been implemented throughout China. But that added security has not come cheap, and times are tight enough in the current economic climate that people are increasingly questioning whether the system is worth it.
And in the wake of a high-profile knife attack at a Shanghai metro station last month, some are asking what can be done to improve the system.
Like at most airports, bags must be X-rayed as travellers pass through a metal scanner. And a beep results in face time with a wand-wielding guard who could very well be casting an “arresto momentum” charm with the device as it delays hurried commuters battling rush hour in cities with populations the size of some small countries.
And with major subway systems handling upwards of 10 million passengers a day, those security checks – including staff salaries and technological expenses – have raised questions about balancing public safety and cost-effectiveness.
Liang Pinghan, a professor of politics and public affairs at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, said there was an “imminent need” to review that balance amid China’s worrisome economic outlook.
“According to the 2022 financial statement of Beijing’s subway system, 11 per cent of operating expenses went to security staff, which didn’t include investments in related equipment,” he told the Post. “It’s an expense equal to the subway’s utilities cost.”
Security checks create jobs and a more safe and secure environment for economic development
Liang said it is time to analyse which measures are “necessary”, which can be reduced, and whether some work can be “adjusted” after careful assessments, including of revenue and expenditures.
Despite being somewhat offset by government subsidies, high costs have resulted in several metro systems in major Chinese cities recording net losses, Liang noted, adding that security checks particularly pile the financial burden on local-level governments that are already struggling.
“Some cities have reduced operations of their subways,” he explained, pointing to authorities in a southern Chinese city who reduced perks to increase revenue.
Meanwhile, just across the border in Hong Kong, the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) system has no security checks at any of its exits nor within its stations. And a Post review of publicly listed MTR Corp’s annual report for 2023 found no mention of “security” nor “public safety” among any fiscal expenditures.
Weighing up national security concerns and economic burdens, some analysts say that thorough evaluations of public security systems could help lay a track for China’s economic recovery.
“There are always pros and cons,” said Dong Jinyue, principal economist at BBVA Research, noting how security equipment is a costly local-government expenditure. “But on the other hand, security checks create jobs and a more safe and secure environment for economic development.”
We may have to ask ourselves: are we in a similar situation as Israel?
Last month, Professor Liang, in warning of that “imminent need” to review security checks at subway stations across China, laid out his point of view on the financial commentary platform of Peking University.
His take was further distributed by The East is Read newsletter, which is put out by the Centre for China & Globalisation, a non-governmental think tank in Beijing.
“I reckoned that China can absolutely reduce costs while continuing regular security checks at subways,” Liang told the Post this week. He also pointed to Israel, which has ramped up security at transport hubs and universities amid the Israel-Gaza war.
“We may have to ask ourselves: are we in a similar situation as Israel?” Liang said. “Better management, such as in the categorisation of manpower and intensity, can be applied at subways in different cities.”
On Zhihu, a Quora-type Q&A site, The East is Read summarised the mixed perspectives among subway users asked about the security measures. Some pointed to overstaffing and others saw a need to prevent terrorism, especially in the wake of not only the Shanghai attack, but also stabbings at a Jilin park and a Suzhou bus station last month.
When asked, Liang had estimated that there were three staff members at each of a subway station’s checkpoints. Afterward, in Beijing, the Post observed up to five people working at some station checkpoints, including during the late rush hour at the station near the Zhongguan Village tech hub on July 3.
Instead of this layout, which can result in up to dozens of checkpoint staff at major stations throughout China, and a few at even small stations, Liang suggested deploying some security personnel throughout the stations while more effectively using the nation’s vast network of public surveillance cameras.
05:28
Should China be concerned about the latest Japan-Philippines security pact?
The Post observed that it took about 15 seconds for those with backpacks to pass through Beijing station checkpoints. People often quickly walked through metal detectors and some were stopped for a pat-down while others shuffled through.
Some people with handbags could walk through the metal detector and open their bags for a quick eye check without need of an X-ray scan, but others were asked to put small bags through the machine.
Because of these types of security measures, explained Dong at BBVA, threats to national security “have already been significantly reduced in mainland China”.
“And people around the world also believe that China is quite safe,” he added.
Both that sense of security and the accompanying inconvenience were reflected on by Li Yu, a years-long Beijing resident until moving to Canada last year. He recalled how it could take between five and 10 minutes for daily commuters to queue for security in Xidan Station – one of the busiest stations in Beijing – during rush hour.
“In Canada, subway stations don’t have security checks,” he added. “While I feel less bothered, I still have safety concerns … It’s impossible to know if someone in the subway is carrying a weapon or would potentially harm others.”
