The Chinese flag reflects off a microchip. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The Chinese Communist Party is waging a grey zone war against the United States, exploiting America’s open southern border, US companies’ eagerness to engage with the Chinese market, and Washington’s insufficient protections against China’s malign influence.

China Center Director Miles Yu appeared on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal to discuss the scale and scope of these threats. Watch the segment or read the highlights below.

Key Insights

1. Some Chinese illegal immigrants are fleeing China’s failing economy. Others are agents of the state.

“They are young, of military age, and many of them do not have economic prospects in China. Not all of them are Chinese agents, but some of them are acting on behalf of the government. We have some cases where people will be given a court date and then act on behalf of the Chinese government. There is a lot of technology to spread anti-American rhetoric broadcasting in China, saying how bad America is. This is one of the reasons why there are a lot of issues. Not all of them are Chinese agents. But as a sovereign nation, our fundamental fabric must be preserved. This is one of the reasons why the border issue is not just an economic issue—it’s also a national security issue.”

2. Beijing does not recognize the rights of private companies in China or around the world. The CCP will leverage these companies to acquire sensitive data and threaten global security.

“There is no such thing as a Chinese private company. In China they have three basic laws: national security law, intelligence law, and counterintelligence law. It puts every Chinese company at risk because you have to comply with the demands of the government, including intelligence organizations. . . . People try to find a third way to engage with China economically and get rid of the risk. But you should know that by engaging with China economically, you pose a risk to your own national security. The Chinese government has been peddling this narrative that is about China versus the United States. The fact is, it’s not a matter of China versus the US. It’s China versus the rest of the world, because they hacked every country. This is why we should act together to deal with this.”

3. As China purchases US farmland and controls discourse through TikTok, Washington needs new ways to limit Beijing’s influence in the United States.

“There are legal ways to do so. There is a Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. You have to go through a certain vetting process to make sure that you are buying particular assets legally and have no connection with malign actors like the Chinese government. So there are many ways to do that. . . . We have to deal with this from [a national security] point of view. . . . If we treat China as just another member of the free market system, we will be in trouble. Everyone talks about the harm and pernicious nature of TikTok. The Trump administration issued a ban on WeChat and TikTok, but it was overturned by a court in California very soon after the issuing of the executive order. So that’s why our legal system does not take into account the national security factor as sufficiently as it should. . . . Congress should react more quickly.”

Quotes may be edited for clarity and length. 

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