People ' s Armed Police The People ' s Armed Police Force ( Abbreviation : PAP or " CAPF " ; Simplified Chinese : 中国人民武装警察部队 , Traditional Chinese : 中國人民武裝警察部隊 ; pinyin : " Zhōngguó Rénmín Wǔzhuāng Jǐngchá Bùduì " ) is a paramilitary or gendarmerie force primarily responsible for civilian policing and fire rescue duties in the People ' s Republic of China , as well as provide support to PLA during wartime . In contrast to public security police , PAP servicemen , also called as " Armed Policemen ( 武警战士 ) " , wear olive green instead of the blue uniforms of the Public Security Police ( People ' s Police ) . From January 1 , 2005 to July 31 , 2007 the position had been renamed ' internal guard ' ( 内卫 ) with arm insignia reflecting this change ; new uniforms issued on August 1 , 2007 carried to term for " China Armed Police Force " ( 中国武警 ) . The PAP is estimated to have a total strength of 1 . 5 million , with over half its strength ( 800 , 000 ) employed in its internal security units ( Simplified Chinese : 内卫部队 ; pinyin : nèiwèi bùduì ) . History . The history of the People ' s Armed Police is as long as the People ' s Republic , and its origin can be traced back to the People ' s Liberation Army , which was responsible for both defending the nation from foreign invasions and internal security . Although the force was officially established in 1982 , its constituent units stretch back to 1949 . After the establishment of the People ' s Republic of China , it was soon apparent that the different troops were required for the vastly different missions , and the domestic security functions had to be removed from the People ' s Liberation Army . As a result , the portion of People ' s Liberation Army responsible for internal security and other domestic police missions branched out to form the Public Security Army , under the administration of the Ministry of Public Security of the People ' s Republic of China . Although under the Ministry of Public Security , the Public Security Army troops were not exactly public security police officers because in addition to regular police work , they were also tasked with secondary military tasks which was not part of the responsibility of regular police officers of the public security ministry . After numerous name changes and reorganization , the PAP was created on June 19 , 1982 by an amalgamation of the PLA ' s border control , internal security units ( domestic ' internal guard ' or 內卫 ) , and fire department , as well as from Ministry of Public Security units . Mission . The PAP ' s primary mission is internal security . The first law on the People ' s Armed Police , the Law on the People ' s Armed Police Force ( PAPF ) , was passed in August 2009 , giving it statutory authority to respond to riots , terrorist attacks or other emergencies . Such units guard government buildings at all levels ( including party and state organisations , foreign embassies and consulates ) , provide personal protection to senior government officials , provide security functions to public corporations and major public events . Some units perform guard duty in civilian prisons and provide executioners for the state . The PAP also maintains tactical counter - terrorism ( CT ) units in the Immediate Action Unit ( IAU ) , Snow Wolf Commando Unit ( SWCU ) and various Special Police Unit s ( SPU ) . PAP border security forces ( Simplified Chinese : 边防部队 ; pinyin : " biānfáng bùdùi " ) guard China ' s land and sea borders , as well as its ports and airports . Other units guard China ' s forests ( Simplified Chinese : 森林部队 ; pinyin : " sēnlín bùduì " ) , gold mines ( Simplified Chinese : 黄金部队 ; pinyin : " huángjīn bùduì " ) and hydropower facilities ( Simplified Chinese : 水电部队 ; pinyin : " shuǐdiàn bùduì " ) , as well as provide traffic - policing ( Simplified Chinese : 交通部队 ; pinyin : " jiāotōng bùduì " ) , Fire Fighting ( 消防部队 ) and road construction services . Among them , the Border Security and Fire Fighting are under the control by both Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Public Security ( which also controls the People ' s Police ) while the other forces are under the control of Ministry of Defense only . The secondary mission of the PAP is external defence , and in times of war PAP internal security units can act as light infantry supporting the PLA in local defence missions . Organization . The PAP has a dual command structure including the Central Military Commission ( CMC ) and the State Council through the Ministry of Public Security . By law however , the PAP is not part of the PLA . The PAP is estimated to have a total strength of 1 . 5 million , with over half its strength ( 800 , 000 ) employed in its internal security units ( Simplified Chinese : 内卫部队 ; pinyin : " neiwei budui " ) . However , government figures put the number at 660 , 000 . Such units are organised in division - sized elements ( Simplified Chinese : 总队 ; pinyin : " zongdui " , or ' contingents ' ) and are located in each province , autonomous region and centrally - controlled city . Some provinces have more than one internal security " zongdui " due to the transferral of 14 PLA Divisions ( numbering 500 , 000 personnel ) to the PAP during the late 1990s . Additionally , the PAP maintains a national headquarters in Beijing . Although their uniforms ( olive green ) and insignia are different from those of the PLA , PAP guards wear military - style uniforms and insignia that often leads to them being mistaken for soldiers . Furthermore , due to its history with the PLA and paramilitary organisation , the PAP has a similar rank structure to the PLA and also obeys its general regulations . PAP guards are also recruited at the same time and through the same procedures as PLA soldiers . However , the PAP has its own education and training system separate from the PLA .