{"id":1426680,"date":"2022-04-09T08:14:53","date_gmt":"2022-04-09T12:14:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1426680"},"modified":"2022-04-09T08:14:54","modified_gmt":"2022-04-09T12:14:54","slug":"lets-call-out-chinese-spying-for-the-threat-that-it-is","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lets-call-out-chinese-spying-for-the-threat-that-it-is\/","title":{"rendered":"Let\u2019s Call Out Chinese Spying for the Threat That It Is"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Flets-call-out-chinese-spying-for-the-threat-that-it-is%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1426680&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p><strong>OPINION<\/strong> \u2014 \u201cThe beginning of wisdom\u201d, according to a quote ascribed to Confucius, \u201cis to call things by their proper name.\u201d\u00a0 That saying came to mind when the Department of Justice (DOJ) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2022\/02\/23\/1082593735\/justice-department-china-initiative\">announced<\/a> on February 23, 2022, that it was ending its \u201cChina Initiative\u201d.\u00a0 That Trump-era program sought to prioritize the People\u2019s Republic of China (PRC) and its massive espionage campaign against our country as the main target for US counterintelligence (CI) efforts.\u00a0 Mention of the Initiative\u2019s title in the press was almost invariably preceded by the adjective \u201ccontroversial\u201d owing to allegations that it was unfairly directed at those of Chinese heritage. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>While a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lawfareblog.com\/us-justice-department-puts-end-controversial-china-initiative\">review<\/a> of the program found no evidence to substantiate claims of wrongdoing by federal prosecutors pursuing cases against suspected violators of US espionage laws on behalf of Beijing, DOJ decided nonetheless to shut the program down out of concern for \u201canything that creates the impression that\u2026(DOJ)\u2026applies different standards based on race or ethnicity harms the department and (its) efforts and harms the public.\u201d Instead, citing the low conviction rate of cases brought against those charged in China-related spy cases, DOJ announced the initiative will be re-branded as \u201cA Strategy for Countering Nation-State Threats\u201d and expanded beyond PRC spying to encompass espionage threats from Russia, Iran and North Korea.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It is all to the good that we should work to counter the nefarious actions of all these adversaries.\u00a0 And no one can argue with the need to avoid the use of unfounded or prejudicial language and to ensure that espionage laws are equally applied irrespective of race or ethnicity.\u00a0 At the same time, however, an unwillingness to name China as our chief espionage adversary \u2013 and to prioritize our CI efforts and resources accordingly \u2013 is itself a threat to our national security.<\/p>\n<p>This is not the first time that concern over injudicious or prejudicial speech has undermined attempts to draw attention to CI threats that imperil our country.\u00a0 One such instance was the \u2018Red Menace\u2019 era of the 1950\u2019s.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Odyssey-Friend-Letters-William-1954-1961\/dp\/0895267888\">Whittaker Chambers<\/a>, whose testimony as a \u2018witness\u2019 played a crucial role in drawing attention to Soviet espionage, spoke to his concern that statements made by Senator Joseph McCarthy could damage efforts to confront Moscow\u2019s spying.\u00a0 \u201cIt is,\u201d Chambers wrote, \u201cin fact no exaggeration to say that we live in terror that Senator McCarthy will one day make some irreparable blunder that will play directly into the hands of our common enemy and discredit the whole anti-Communist effort for a long while to come.\u201d\u00a0 Indeed, McCarthy\u2019s wild and unsourced claims of communist penetration of a wide range of U.S. government agencies were seized upon by those on the political left and by many of those accused of spying to denigrate investigations into Soviet espionage.\u00a0 No less a personage of the times than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.history.com\/this-day-in-history\/alger-hiss-convicted-of-perjury\">Alger Hiss<\/a> \u2013 who Chambers named as a Soviet agent \u2013 maintained until the day he died that he was an innocent victim of entrapment in the so-called \u2018Pumpkin Papers\u2019 case. \u201cIn the future\u201d, Hiss claimed during his sentencing for perjury after a much-debated trial, \u201cthe way that Whittaker Chambers was able to carry out forgery by typewriter will be disclosed.\u201d In fact, as declassification of the results of the VENONA project revealed, Hiss and some 300 of his countrymen \u2013 more than half of whom were identifiable in partial decryptions of Soviet intelligence message traffic \u2013 were in fact, Soviet agents.\u00a0 Most of them went unprosecuted.\u00a0 Why?<\/p>\n<p>Even in the best of circumstances, successful prosecution of a spy case is not easy.\u00a0 Indeed, most espionage or espionage-related cases end in plea bargains of one sort or another due to the government\u2019s inability to conclusively prove intentional transmission of classified information to a foreign power or its willful exposure; an unwillingness to expose sources and methods in court; and a desire to secure a fulsome attestation from the subject as to the full extent of his or her espionage activities.\u00a0 Moreover, instances of suspected spying that are not clear cut \u2013 that is where the suspected agent was caught in an espionage act (think Robert Hanssen being arrested in 2001, while servicing a Russian dead-drop) \u2013 are almost invariably accompanied by an attempt by the defense to politicize the case.\u00a0 This certainly happened with Hiss, whose loud protestations of innocence, even in the face of the most damning evidence, led Chambers to write: \u201cExperience\u2026taught me that innocence seldom utters outraged shrikes. Guilt does.\u201d\u00a0 Creating the impression that a program such as the China Initiative is biased is in the interest of those who have the most to fear from it.<\/p>\n<p>In that vein, PRC government statements are instructive. \u00a0In January 2022, the Chinese Foreign Ministry <a href=\"http:\/\/www.china-embassy.org\/eng\/lcbt\/wjbfyrbt\/202201\/t20220118_10629940.htm\">condemned<\/a> the initiative as \u201ca clumsy tool used by anti-China forces in the US to suppress and contain China\u201d.\u00a0 A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson greeted the announced termination of the initiative with the admonition that it, \u201cwas something the US should have ended <a href=\"http:\/\/www.xinhuanet.com\/english\/20220225\/a997fc026e464133bd9db0cae45bb220\/c.html\">long ago<\/a>\u201d. \u00a0Well aware of the racial and ethnic tension roiling the US that the PRC has done everything in its power to stoke, she went on to claim that the Initiative, \u201caggravated the issue of racial discrimination in the U.S\u2026caused grave damage to the Asian American community (and) poisoned the atmosphere of mutual trust and cooperation between China and the U.S.\u201d\u00a0 As a rule, when an intelligence adversary speaks out against any CI program, it is a prudent thing to press forward with that undertaking with renewed vigor.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><em>The Cipher Brief hosts expert-level briefings on national security issues for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecipherbrief.com\/subscriber-plus\">Subscriber+Members<\/a> that help provide context around today\u2019s national security issues and what they mean for business.\u00a0 Upgrade your status to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecipherbrief.com\/subscriber-plus\">Subscriber+<\/a> today.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n<p>The nature of Chinese espionage must also be considered. In contrast to Soviet\/Russian spies \u2013 the preponderance of which were \u2013 and are \u2013 engaged in the theft of national security information \u2013 most of the Chinese spies uncovered by US CI organizations to date, have been engaged in the theft of industrial and trade secrets, research material and intellectual property; or in the conduct of operations intended to influence the American public and leadership.\u00a0 In most instances, any material stolen by Beijing\u2019s American agents was taken in the course of their normal business or academic activities.\u00a0 In such cases, it is often \u2013 by design \u2013 very difficult to prove intent.\u00a0 Moreover, while we have seen an increasing number of non-ethnic Chinese working as PRC spies, it is a fact that Chinese intelligence services have long seen ethnic Chinese as preferred recruitment targets.\u00a0 This is the case for at least three reasons. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>First, Beijing continues to hold the view that ethnic Chinese \u2013 irrespective of citizenship \u2013 should rightly owe their primary loyalty to China.\u00a0 Second, PRC intelligence services routinely leverage any family members still living in China to convince a person with Chinese roots living abroad to spy for Beijing.\u00a0 Finally, for strictly operational reasons, Chinese intelligence officers feel it is less alerting to adversary CI services to be seen in the company of other ethnic Chinese.\u00a0 Consequently, the fact that a plurality of PRC-related espionage cases involve persons of Chinese background and heritage reflects the realities of the threat we face and is not in and of itself indicative of racial bias.<\/p>\n<p>One hopes that the decision to end the China Initiative only represents a change in title and that its successor program will continue to prioritize China as a CI target. \u00a0Assurances to that effect have reportedly been given to Executive Branch officials and to members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. \u00a0But language means things.\u00a0 It serves to focus attention.\u00a0 Given the threat we face, we ought to be ramping up CI efforts directed against Chinese espionage organizations and operations.\u00a0 And we ought to be able to name the PRC\u2019s espionage campaign against us for the threat it is, lest publication two or three decades from now of an effort akin to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nsa.gov\/Helpful-Links\/NSA-FOIA\/Declassification-Transparency-Initiatives\/Historical-Releases\/Venona\/\">Venona<\/a> project, will document the scope of the Chinese spying directed against us.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Sharing informed opinions is important.\u00a0 Opinion pieces represent the diverse views of The Cipher Brief audience and do not represent views of The Cipher Brief.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Read more expert-driven national security insights, perspective and analysis in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecipherbrief.com\/\">The Cipher Brief<\/a> because National Security is Everyone\u2019s Business.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>OPINION \u2014 \u201cThe beginning of wisdom\u201d, according to a quote ascribed to Confucius, \u201cis to call things by their proper name.\u201d\u00a0 That saying came to mind when the Department of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":489,"featured_media":1888522,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1426680","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1426680","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/489"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1426680"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1426680\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1888522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1426680"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1426680"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1426680"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}