Experts have hailed the National Security Commission's (NSC) "comprehensive and authoritative" role in safeguarding China's internal and external security in the new era following its first meeting.

President Xi Jinping, who heads the commission, vowed to implement an overall national security outlook and a "national security path with Chinese characteristics" on Tuesday while chairing the commission's first meeting.

"Nowadays, national security involves more aspects beside traditional defense," Yang Weidong, a professor with the Chinese Academy of Governance, told the Global Times.

External security concerns have expanded from military threats to terrorism, cyber security, hacking and other fields that require coordinated efforts from multiple departments, Yang said, adding that only a top-level agency like the National Security Commission can ensure an effective mechanism for overall coordination.

Meanwhile, internal security that concerns social stability also draws public attention after events such as the Kunming terror attack, Yang added.

The national security system will cover 11 spheres of politics, territory, military, economy, culture, society, science and technology, information, ecology, nuclear and natural resources, according to the president.

Experts stressed that comprehensive security threats require combined efforts from national defense, economy, public security and others, while the previous scattered structure proved to be insufficient without unified leadership.

"The national security system will also contribute to more authoritative foreign policies for China since the decisions will be made based on all-sided consideration in the future," Yang said.

The detailed categories of national security and emphasizing the priority of its people's security showed the national security path with Chinese characteristics, Li Wei, a senior safety research fellow from the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, said.

China also emphasized common security while safeguarding its own interests in the world, Li said, adding that it showed China's consistent effort to seek international security and it prefers dialogue for solving international conflicts.

Experts also suggested that the leading figures of the commission, which also include Premier Li Keqiang and top legislator Zhang Dejiang as deputy heads, showed Chinese characteristics through the combination of the Party, government and legislature.

The decision to establish the commission was made at the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee in November 2013.

In an explanation of the proposed commission's main responsibilities made public after the session, Xi said, "Establishing a national security commission to strengthen the unified leadership of State security work is an urgent need." Xi was appointed as the head of the commission on January 24.