America’s China strategy needs urgent overhaul

OPINION:

It took only a few decades for Chinese President Xi Jinping to thoroughly discard Deng Xiaoping’s maxim of “Hide your strength and bide your time” in favor of global military, commercial and diplomatic confrontation with the United States and its allies.

China is militarizing the South China Sea; using its Belt and Road initiative as cover for debt trap diplomacy to expand its global throw weight; counterfeiting U.S. products and pilfering U.S. trade secrets through espionage and by requiring U.S. companies to share their technology in return for market access; stealing billions of dollars of U.S. intellectual property each year; expanding and modernizing its nuclear forces faster than any other nation in history; and brazenly hacking into our critical infrastructure.

The U.S. is under siege from the Chinese Communist Party but is not close to doing enough to counter, defend and deter China’s multifarious threats to its national security.

In his recently published book, “Seven Things You Can’t Say About China,” Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, who serves as chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, removes the scales from the eyes of anyone who might question whether China is responsible for this century’s cold war.

Mr. Cotton, whom China sanctioned in 2020 after he exposed China’s blatant lies about the origin of the COVID-19 virus, rightly calls out China for being an “evil empire” police state that exercises ruthless control over its citizens and boasts the world’s largest ground forces, navy, coast guard and maritime militia. Inducing pro-China self-censorship in Hollywood and professional sports, most notably the NBA, as well as conducting massive espionage and influence operations using social media such as TikTok, China has our military, politicians and private-sector business directly in its crosshairs.

Mr. Cotton’s deeply insightful analysis and call to action is a must-read for all Americans. It should be the foundation of a comprehensive strategy to keep our nation safe from communist China.

First, the U.S. needs to revitalize its military industrial base and rebuild its navy, which has shrunk to its smallest size since World War I. Known for their shipbuilding prowess, Japan and South Korea can be powerful force multipliers for our naval buildup.

Second, not one country in the Pacific wants to be China’s vassal state. The U.S. should strengthen its regional alliances in Asia to deter Chinese aggression and insulate its commercial trade from China’s predatory tactics. Consider the value of a U.S.-led Pacific free trade zone that excludes China, with goods and services flowing freely between the U.S. and economically vibrant nations such as Vietnam and Malaysia. The U.S. also should continue strengthening military partnerships with key regional power brokers, including the Philippines, Japan and South Korea.

Third, the U.S. should make a declarative statement about its commitment to Taiwan. As Mr. Cotton rightly emphasizes, the decades-old policy of strategic ambiguity did not take into account that Taiwan is a democracy that China has the capability and intent to destroy. The Trump administration has an opportunity to course correct President Biden, who on multiple occasions muddled through a promise to defend Taiwan, only to have his staff walk back his comments.

Mr. Cotton assesses that China could not dominate the U.S. without conquering Taiwan, which manufactures 90% of the world’s most advanced semiconductors. Moreover, by illegally annexing Taiwan by force, China would own a sphere of influence in the Pacific, which would eliminate U.S. access to the fastest-growing economic region of the world.

The U.S. should publicly state as part of its national security strategy that it would come to Taiwan’s defense if China launched an unprovoked military attack. That would bring the necessary strategic clarity to our defense planning and diplomatic engagement with allies and adversaries, including China.

Last, invoking President Reagan, who spoke to rousing applause about capitalism at Moscow State University in 1988, the U.S. needs to win over the public square. That means a soft-power, full-court press exposing China’s war on freedom, liberty and democracy from the White House, State Department and media, including Radio Free Asia. Seeking to impose cyber sovereignty through its “Great Firewall,” China does not trust its own citizens’ freedom of expression and access to the world via the internet. Every meeting with Chinese officials should excoriate China for its horrific human rights abuses.

At the Worldwide Threat Assessment hearing this year, Mr. Cotton warned, “Communist China is actively working to replace the U.S. as the world’s dominant superpower.” It’s up to the Trump national security team to ensure that never happens.

• Daniel N. Hoffman is a retired clandestine services officer and former chief of station with the Central Intelligence Agency. His combined 30 years of government service included high-level overseas and domestic positions at the CIA. He has been a Fox News contributor since May 2018. He can be reached at danielhoffman@yahoo.com.