This study provides suggestions on big-data research in international relations and area studies in China. First, there has been an ever-growing need for improving big-data research in international security in China. Big-data research in international security does not amount to data science, for computational methods and data analysis are just means rather than ends. Scholars in international relations and social sciences in general should play an active role in such research. Second, big-data research in international security is more than just an interdisciplinary scientific enterprise but also policy-oriented research. As such, it requires determining regions and forms of security risks in policies and taking into account the time and ways of policy responses in the design of warning systems. Third, the object of big-data research in international security is security risks with the aim of making predictions that can be applied to actual decision-making processes. Therefore, improving big-data research in international security in China necessitates selecting and defining the most crucial forms of risks and targets for prediction based on China's security environment and security strategy.