Five years ago, I published a book entitled The New Art of War: China’s Deep Strategy Inside the United States, seen here. I detailed how the Chinese government ruthlessly exploits Chinese nationals and Chinese-Americans inside the United States, whether they be students in American universities, researchers at key laboratories, or players in the political arena. The Chinese also have devoted enormous resources to penetrating key government institutions, including the FBI and CIA, both through human and technological means. We also have read recently about the Chinese authorities operating secret police stations around the world to monitor Chinese dissidents and critics.
So today, fully five years after The New Art of War,, the New York Times discovers the phenomenon with this headline: “N.Y. Case Tied To a Way China Seeks Influence” by David Pierson, a very capable reporter. He writes in part, “The clandestine activity usually follows a pattern, analysts said. China recruits members of the Chinese diaspora communities to infiltrate halls of power, or to silence Chinese dissidents and other critics of Beijing.” The article correctly identifies the United Front arm of the Communist Party as being instrumental in these efforts.
As I wrote, the Chinese today are heeding the advice of Sun Tzu, who in the original Art f War famously wrote, “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.” They are practicing a form of combat we don’t recognize–even though I and others have been warning about it for years. Why can’t we wake up? We have to learn how to distinguish between Chinese-Americans who are loyal to the American ideal and those who are not–without triggering a full-scale “red scare.” That’s the challenge we face.
