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The debate about China. People are uncomfortable with the focus on China.
Get over your discomfort. Clear away the philosophical cobwebs. Look at the math and look at the intent.
China is the single biggest source of our trade deficit, and our outsourcing. If it was some other country, I would talk about that country. But it is not another country. It is China. So says the math. People here lose jobs. People you know. People I know.
As to intent. The Chinese spying is hitting the front page. It is not the third tier papers from China. It is not a few whistleblowers hastily shut up.
[Joel F. Brenner, the top U.S. counterintellingence official] described China’s information-gathering efforts as “a full-court press and relentless.” As a result, he said, few professional analysts “really think that what’s going on is anything other than an orchestrated, deeply thought-out, strategic campaign.”
But... but... it must be the free market working. The invisible hand. Or something.
David W. Szady, who as an assistant director of the F.B.I. ran its counterintelligence division until retiring in 2006, said the Chinese had “mastered the use of multiple redundant collection platforms” by looking for students, delegates to conferences, relatives and researchers to gather information. ... the Chinese “have become very focused on what they want.”
The hand is invisible, but not the same hand as Adam Smith thought about while living with his mother in Scotland in the 1790's.
The 24 character strategy is the Chinese version. They have not studied Adam Smith. This 24 character strategy is a very different invisible hand.
In the early 1990s, former paramount leader Deng Xiaoping (d. 1997) gave guidance to China’s foreign and security policy apparatus that, collectively, has come to be known as the “24 character” strategy:
“observe calmly; secure our position; cope with affairs calmly; hide our capacities and bide our time;be good at maintaining a low profile; and never claim leadership.”
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