One of the most important national security challenges of the day is how to properly calibrate our “Pivot to Asia.” China clearly remains the central pacing threat for the United States today in terms of military, economic, and critically, informational operations. But while prioritizing countering China is necessary, success hinges on understanding China’s goals and strategy. China does not merely seek regional hegemony in the Indo-Pacific; it has aims at being the predominant global power. Effectively countering this Chinese threat requires a similarly global approach.

The last month has proven that assessment true. Nearly every incident of recent global unrest has the fingerprints of the Chinese Communist Party on it. China is, after all, the central pillar of an anti-American bloc seeking to harm American interests throughout the world, and CCP leaders have made it a priority to support and empower international partners as they foment chaos and destruction. In Europe, China has enabled Putin’s war in Ukraine, surging the export of drone components that Russia uses to terrorize Ukrainian civilians, providing key economic support through the sale of otherwise sanctioned Russian oil and gas, and regularly using its role as part of the P5 in the United Nations to shift attention away from Russia’s war crimes. In Iran, Chinese technology like Tiandy, which is used to surveil China’s Uyghur population, is also regularly deployed to support the Islamic Republic’s repression apparatus that has massacred tens of thousands of innocent Iranians. In the Western Hemisphere, China has aided and abetted repression in Venezuela by providing nearly $100B in loans to the Maduro regime over decades. Some of these loans were used to support the establishment of the Venezuelan national ID card, powered by the Chinese company ZTE, which has for years been used as a tool of social control to identify opposition members, deny them access to humanitarian programs, and engage in vote buying schemes for the chavistas. At the same time, many of the hundreds of political prisoners being held by the Maduro regime were identified using the extensive network of over 30,000 Chinese surveillance cameras around the country. China’s role in sponsoring repression across the world is undeniable.

The policy implications of this recognition are twofold. First, consistent with our recommendations in our “The Other Superpower” series, we must practice deterrence by detection. As we evaluate next steps to support democratic actors in Venezuela, Iranian protestors in Iran, and peace in Ukraine, we would do well to highlight China’s role in advancing authoritarianism and instability around the world. And second, we must recognize that prioritizing the China threat means prioritizing it wherever we see it emerge throughout the world: the South China Sea, the frontlines in Eastern Europe, the bazaars in Tehran, the polls in Caracas, and the U.S. homeland.

-Carrie Filipetti, Executive Director of the Vandenberg Coalition

The Vandenberg Coalition (TVC) seeks two summer interns to contribute to the organization’s policy and government affairs efforts for the 9-week period from Monday, June 1, until Friday, July 31. Interns will receive a stipend of $3,000 for completing the program. The application deadline is Friday, February 27, at 5PM EST. Interns at Vandenberg will have the opportunity to further develop their understanding of national security, the legislative process, logistics and event planning, memo-writing, and of course, develop a comprehensive network in the foreign policy community. Their direct engagement in timely research may ultimately lead to publication and help identify opportunities for TVC to amplify the critical work being done by other members of the DC foreign policy community. You can read more about the positions here.