THE first half of 2020 clarified China’s malign diplomacy. The second half clarified China’s espionage. The trouble is: the US Democratic Party is most exposed, so is reluctant to shift from deference. Much will depend on how the conservative minority in journalism and Congress can leverage the latest revelations.
In June, the US National Security Adviser (Robert C O’Brien) launched a series of cross-departmental revelations: ‘The [Chinese Communist] Party is collecting your most intimate data – your words, your actions, your purchases, your whereabouts, your health records, your social media posts, your texts, and mapping your network of friends, family, and acquaintances.’ The collectors include state-subsidised telecoms, computer hardware and software, and medical services such as Huawei servers and genetic tests.