Chinese leaders have urged law enforcement officials to tighten their hold to ensure social stability as the world enters a “turbulent period” and the global pandemic causes “chaos in the West”. At the annual meeting of the Communist Party body overseeing justice, prosecutorial and police agencies in Beijing on the weekend, the leaders said the country was facing rapidly evolving global risks due to the once-in-a-century pandemic. “As changes to the world structure accelerate, China’s rule is in sharp contrast with the turmoil in the West,” a statement from the Central Political and Legal Work Conference said. “At the same time … the world has entered a period of turbulent change. Political and legal work is facing new risks and challenges.”