No images? Click here
Weekend Reads
A drone sprays pesticides at Baiyutan Modern Agriculture Demonstration Park in Kunshan, China, on April 18, 2024. (Photo by Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
For over a decade, China has waged a large-scale cyber campaign against the United States to steal technologies and disrupt critical infrastructure. National Security Council Director for Cyber Policy Israel Soong joined Miles Yu to discuss why America needs to secure its cyber advantages over the People’s Republic of China to deter the Chinese Communist Party from escalating competition with the US into crisis or conflict.
Key points from their discussion are below.
Key Insights
1. The PRC is the only state with both the intent to reshape the international order and the economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power to do it.
“When I say that Beijing sees cyber and emerging technology as crucial to its strategy to reshape the US-led international order to be more favorable to the priorities of the CCP, what I mean is that the PRC has mounted a large-scale effort to actively and intentionally dominate these areas in a strategic way. Many of you are aware of the PRC’s massive espionage effort against the US using cyber. In a campaign that has lasted over a decade, the PRC has been able to steal technology secrets from many sensitive weapons programs. You’re also probably aware that the PRC has for many years pre-positioned on US critical infrastructure for a potentially disruptive cyberattack, setting up back doors to enable it to cripple vital assets and systems in the event of crisis or conflict. And by critical infrastructure, I mean transportation hubs, power generation, electrical grids, communications, water supplies, and the like.”
2. Unless America improves its cybersecurity, the PRC will continue to steal critical US military technologies.
“It’s essential that we start requiring each of our critical infrastructure sectors to adhere to baseline cybersecurity measures. . . . It makes no sense for the American taxpayer to pay billions for advanced weapons programs that defend American interests, only to lose military secrets to the PRC for what are really pennies on the dollar because of lax cybersecurity. Now there’s good news on this front. The [Department of Defense] is amending the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulations, DFARs, to require defense contractors to adhere to a consistent, comprehensive framework certified by a third party to enhance cybersecurity for the defense industrial base. But there’s more that needs to be done.”
3. The US needs to invest in human talent, particularly in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math).
“Investing in cybersecurity means investing in our pool of STEM talent. In 2023, more than 750,000 cybersecurity jobs in the United States went unfilled. In 2022, universities in the United States awarded 435,000 STEM bachelor’s degrees. Now that seems like a lot, doesn’t it? Until you realize that, on average, universities in the PRC award more than 4 million bachelor’s STEM degrees every year. Now I know the PRC has a greater population. Some rankings suggest that the quality of the STEM education in the US is higher than that of the PRC. And many talented scientists and engineers from China eventually relocate to the West through graduate study and employment. But my point is that the weight of engineering and scientific resources that the PRC can bring to this competition should not be discounted. The United States needs to increase its STEM talent to ensure that we can sustain our research enterprise, drive innovation, and support our national competitive edge in cyber and technology.”
Quotes may be edited for clarity and length.
Go Deeper
In a special episode of China Insider, Miles Yu interviews John Lee on Lee’s latest report, Deterring China: Imposing Nonmilitary Costs to Preserve Peace in the Taiwan Strait. They discuss why an international coalition with capability and resolve is necessary for effectively countering the CCP.
Jonathan Ward lays out a “to-do” list for the next presidential administration to deter China: rebuild the US defense industrial base, prevent flows of US capital to China, target key Chinese firms, and work with allies to strengthen hard power.
A Hudson panel at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Public Forum with government and industry technology leaders discussed how NATO nations can get beyond “innovation theater” and quickly field relevant technological capabilities to deter adversaries like Russia and China.
Act Now
Be a part of promoting American leadership and engagement for a secure, free, and prosperous future for us all.
