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Gertz said that Henry Kissinger, who served as secretary of state during the Nixon administration, represents the wrong way of thinking about China.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s little known is that he has made tens of millions of dollars in China arranging for American businesses to do business in China.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Gertz, U.S.\u2013China policy progressed throughout the past several decades to the point that during the Bush administration, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said, \u201cWe want a strong China.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGuess what? We\u2019re now having a strong China. And it is affecting every aspect of our system: our economy, our technology, our innovation, which is the engine of our economy. It is affecting our military, our intelligence,\u201d Gertz said.<\/p>\n
\u2018The China Threat\u2019 Explodes<\/h2>\n
Gertz said a lot of things that he reported about in his book \u201cThe China Threat\u201d have \u201cexploded\u201d in the past 18 years, which is why he titled his speech, \u201cThe China Threat 2.0.\u201d The \u201cexploded\u201d issues include China\u2019s proliferation activities, intelligence activities, and technology theft.<\/p>\n
Although Kissinger is trying to make sure the United States doesn\u2019t take a hard line on China, things are different now with the Trump administration, Gertz said.<\/p>\n
The Trump administration, for the first time, announced last week that the Chinese were behind the 2015 attack on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, during which 22.1 million records were stolen, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cDuring the Obama administration, they refused to blame China,\u201d Gertz said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Chinese are now utilizing those 22.1 million records, including those of every security holder in the U.S. government.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am told by the U.S. government that the Chinese are using artificial intelligence as a way to go after target people who are either recruits for giving espionage or somehow could be used to get further cyber attacks,\u201d Gertz said.<\/p>\n
Chinese Military\u2019s No. 1 Priority<\/h2>\n
Gertz reminded the audience that the Chinese military isn\u2019t a traditional, national army. It is a political army, the army of the Communist Party in China, and it is very different from the U.S., British, or French armies.<\/p>\n
\u201cIts No. 1 priority is not the protection of China: It\u2019s the protection of the ruling Communist Party of China,\u201d Gertz explained.<\/p>\n
He said that cyber attacks from China are massive. It\u2019s estimated that about $500 billion worth of some of the most valuable U.S. technology has been stolen by the Chinese Communist Party.<\/p>\n
Economic Warfare and Influence Operations<\/h2>\n
\u201cEconomic warfare\u201d is another aspect of the \u201cChina Threat 2.0.\u201d The White House released a report in June that announced that China is engaged in \u201ceconomic aggression.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd this has been the basis of Trump\u2019s trade war that is now facing with China,\u201d Gertz said, \u201cThis is the first time in a long time that the U.S. government is really, aggressively countering this massive program.\u201d<\/p>\n
China\u2019s influence operations are also part of the \u201cChina Threat 2.0.\u201d President Donald Trump announced at the U.N. Security Council meeting last week that \u201cChina is seeking to influence the U.S. midterm elections.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gertz said he had received information from other sources that the Chinese Communist Party is trying to help the Democrats win control of Congress, and, thereby, defeat the Trump administration\u2019s aggressive and tough posture on trade and Chinese technology theft.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n