Addressing overt Chinese threats is not new to the American intelligence community or the political leadership in Washington. What has alluded the US over the last 30 years is a comprehensive understanding of the process by which decisions are made inside the top-down culture of the CCP. Americans often appear transfixed by the mystique of China and overlook the longer-term danger posed by the belligerent communist regime and the hegemonic ambitions of President Xi Jinping. The Trump Administration is the first to work to reverse decades of US foreign policy. In the past Washington failed to hold China accountable for its actions or, in some cases, ignored or proactively aided China’s poor behavior.
During the 2010-2012 period almost two dozen of America’s intelligence assets inside the Chinese bureaucracy were systematically executed or imprisoned. Washington has not revealed officially who inside the Obama/Biden Administration leaked the information. Years of intelligence work disintegrated almost overnight along with much of the knowledge about how China’s communist government operates. One former intelligence officer familiar with the situation recently said the US is flying blind and doesn’t know a lot of what Beijing is up to, or capable of, in the future. This should concern all Americans.
The leak was one of the worst disasters for spying operations since the United States normalized relations with China. Beijing was not subtle in its response. It even shot one American asset in front of his government colleagues to send a clear message to others. The Trump Administration is not giving China free rein. The result is relations between the two nations are becoming more tense. It is to be expected. We are witnessing increasingly contentious interactions between the two nations. IT doesn’t mean it is time to back down. Bullets may not be flying across the Pacific, but the United States narrative is moving quickly from one describing a “Cold War” environment to a tale of a “Hot Peace” with China.
US officials no longer look the other way or assume China is using the same political “operating system” as in the West. Nor do they falsely imagine China acting benignly in its ascendency to global power as did previous American administrations. Delinking the national security-related aspects of the US economy from that of China is not an easy task. Huawei is one example. The US had to put pressure on its European allies and other nations to keep them from falling into the China trap. Washington sent representatives with classified briefings to Europe to expose China’s goals to western leaders.
Recently the Chinese telecom giant, with its 200,000-person, civilian-military fusion workforce, has been in the news due to the security threat it poses to the West. Few Americans realize that its two main Chinese campuses include massive city-like building complexes designed to mimic 12 famous European landmarks and include actual European-style castles. It abounds with symbolism if one takes time to look. The Shenzen campus features an aquatic area called “Black Swan Lake.” Is Huawei a Black Swan event waiting to happen? Communist regimes are known for celebrating auspicious occasions and marking anniversaries of all important historical events. Symbolism is important in Chinese culture.
There are numerous examples of China’s belligerent and aggressive behavior toward its own population, its neighbors, and countries around the globe. The CCP leadership, led by President Xi Jinping, is intent on assuming a global leadership role. They use Huawei and any means available within their arsenal of weapons to achieve it. Signs of hegemonic aggression by China are undeniable. They dot the global landscape and the high seas. The Trump Administration has uncovered only the tip of what is an extensive policy to alter the international system.
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Washington is no longer tolerating China to gain access to its market. US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo responded to Zhao’s statement, in a highly-publicized speech, that the United States would not allow China to treat the South China Sea as its “maritime empire.” The verbal jousting is escalating. Beijing is getting pushback in many areas for the first time in decades.
The reality the world faces is that China doesn’t abide by the western, rules-based international order developed and led by the United States. The communist giant intends to remake the world in its image. The US may have lost a lot of assets in China but it is beginning to comprehend how China thinks and acts. Next it needs to ask “What is China’s Grand Strategy?” Can the communist nation be counted on to act as a friendly, long-term competitor of the United States or will Washington be forced to constrain the ascendant communist giant that lies and tries to bully the world into submission?
DARIA NOVAK served in the United States State Department during the Reagan Administration, and currently is on the Board of the American Analysis of News and Media Inc., which publishes usagovpolicy.com and the New York Analysis of Policy and Government. Each Friday, she presents key updates on China.
Photo: Pilots assigned to a bomber regiment of the naval aviation under the PLA Southern Theater Command are all ready to go for a recent realistic flight training exercise. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Gao Hongwei)