Stealth War by Robert Spalding

Author:Robert Spalding
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2019-09-30T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

POLITICS AND DIPLOMACY

“War is a mere continuation of policy by other means.”

Carl von Clausewitz, a German military theorist, wrote those words two centuries ago. He was referring to “public policy,” another name for “politics.” Military scholars, then, generally interpret this statement as saying that “politics” and “war” are synonymous. And that means politics can be viewed as a continuation of war by other means.

This makes perfect sense where China is concerned. What Clausewitz is saying—that war is a political act or a political decision used to drive an outcome in the winner’s favor—can be applied to the CCP’s strategy. The CCP uses political and diplomatic engagement and deception to gain control and expand China’s spheres of influence without going to war. This echoes the brilliant central idea of both Sun Tzu’s The Art of War and Unrestricted Warfare: to get what you want without going into battle. The Chinese have absorbed this lesson. They understand the risks and damage of war. For thousands of years, they have been farmers, not fighters. They built the Great Wall to try to eliminate war. So their solution is to pick up on Clausewitz’s theory and sort of turn it on its head. China says, “War? We are not going to play that game.” Instead, China views politics and diplomacy as the battlefield, although it takes pains not to seem like the aggressor. The CCP uses guile, cunning, bribery, and bargaining to achieve desired outcomes. Or, to put it in real-world terms, its entire strategy is built around political influence, information, and buying people off.

The heart of political and diplomatic warfare—influencing—is a two-step process. First, it requires knowing who pulls the levers—that is, who has the clout to make things happen. Second, it requires getting those people to do your dirty work by convincing them that they are serving their own best interests. In other words, Chinese diplomacy seeks to manipulate targets so they don’t realize they are doing the CCP’s dirty work. To do this, China convinces other countries that it is a good neighbor or partner and is genuinely trying to help their partners help themselves. There is little doubt that this ploy drives the vast majority of deals as China unfurls its projected $1.3 trillion Belt and Road infrastructure plan for developing nations. By building a global network of connected railroads, highways, and ports throughout two-thirds of the world, China can talk a great game about helping countries participate in the worldwide economy. But it also puts the CCP in a position to control that economy and exploit all the data that is generated as people and goods move around the world.

“No conflict. No confrontation. Win-win cooperation” is the CCP’s sly slogan.

The same “trust us and let us help you” idea is used again and again as China strikes deals all over the globe, and as it offers to build deep ports, as it has in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Greece, and other nations. It’s easy to see how a developing

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