“All the while, China’s government and Communist Party have brazenly violated well-settled norms and the rule of law.”Ĭhinese government activities also include large-scale cybertheft of Americans’ personal information and intellectual property.Ĭhinese hackers in recent years have obtained personal data on half of the U.S. “The punchline is this: All of these seemingly inconsequential pressures add up to a policymaking environment in which Americans find themselves held over a barrel by the Chinese Communist Party,” Mr. One unnamed state senator was asked by China to issue a resolution praising Beijing’s response to the coronavirus outbreak. “Chinese diplomats also use both open, naked economic pressure and seemingly independent middlemen to push China’s preferences on American officials,” he said.įBI officials have also seen China seek to alter the narrative on its widely criticized handling of the COVID-19 outbreak among federal, state and local officials, Mr. support for places like Taiwan and Hong Kong, where pro-democracy advocates are facing repression from a recently imposed mainland security law, Mr. The objective is to “sway our government policies and distort our public discussion” in a bid to undermine U.S. “Ultimately, China doesn’t hesitate to use smoke, mirrors and misdirection to influence Americans.” “These intermediaries aren’t telling the American official they are Communist Party pawns,” Mr.
If overt pressure fails, China will then use more subversive “indirect, covert,” means, identifying and pressuring people close to local officials in a bid to force them to align with Beijing’s policies, he said. Wray said.Ĭhinese officials have also threatened to punish American companies located in districts of local politicians economically as a way to prevent the officials from traveling or supporting Taiwan. China uses travel restrictions to pressure news organizations and businesses to cut off access and targets anyone viewed as opposing the Chinese Communist Party-ruled system, Mr. media.Ĭhinese pressure campaigns have resulted in American news outlets “self-censoring” their coverage in ways designed to avoid upsetting the government. China considers Taiwan a renegade province that will in time come under Beijing’s control.Īn American governor or member of a state legislature who announces plans to travel to the island often is targeted in overt and covert Chinese influence operations, including the use of paid and unpaid agents and U.S. policy and attitudes toward Taiwan, aimed at undermining U.S. Wray said China has run intelligence operations to sway U.S. The speech offered more details and information about Chinese intelligence and influence operations than the FBI has ever made public before, Mr. Wray, adding that the operation is “on a scale so massive that it represents one of the largest transfers of wealth in human history.” government and American businesses but ordinary citizens as well, said Mr.
The victims of these activities are not just the U.S. “China is engaged in a whole-of-state effort to become the world’s only superpower by any means necessary,” Mr.
economically and militarily, without giving up the government’s near-total control. Wray said half of the 5,000 active FBI counterintelligence cases are related to China and that Beijing is “working to compromise American health care organizations, pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions conducting essential COVID-19 research.”Ĭhinese officials view the effort as a “generational fight” to overtake the U.S. “Its methods include bribery, blackmail and covert deals.” “China is engaged in a highly sophisticated, malign foreign influence campaign,” Mr. Wray said covert operations targeting American officials are underway “24/7, 365 days a year” and involve both intelligence operatives and Chinese diplomats. Regarding “malign” subversion and influence operations, Mr. Additional addresses on China are planned for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Attorney General William Barr in the coming weeks. White House National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien spoke about the problem of China’s governing ideology last week.
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