A coverall thread for geostrategic and geopolitical discussions about the PRC.
The PRC has an agency, the Ministry of State Security (MSS) that is part intelligence agency and part police agency. A Chinese version of the KGB, maybe but I think possibly closer to the East German SSD (Staatssicherheitsdienst - a.k.a., Stasi) in style and operation - highly efficient and thorough. I would not be surprised in the slightest if the SSD - Stasi had people in it who were part of Heydrich's Sicherheitsdienst (SD) the feared security department of the SS. The MSS is believed to have been formed in 1983 and I do wonder if the SSD provided training and mentoring at some stage, or disaffected SSD personnel did after the collapse of the Soviet Bloc and East Germany. The SSD had a brilliant intelligence head in Markus Wolf who penetrated the highest echelons of West German govt circles and NATO.
In recent years there has been significant hacking of countries national IT networks and infrastructure by foreign state and non state actors. Three state actors spring to mind, Russia, North Korea and the PRC. Recently the Australian Parliament's information service was hacked by an undisclosed sophisticated state actor and much suspicion has be cast upon the PRC and more specifically the MSS. Attributing the hack on Australia’s parliament will give clarity to the China relationship | The Strategist. This would follow the pattern of aggressive Chinese actions against it's neighbours and western interests since Xi Jinping has taken control of the PRC and embarked upon a policy of purges, one man control and a cult of personality with Xi thought etc., now being taught and enshrined as part of the constitution.
How the PRC under Xi subverts and influences foreigners and foreign nations and the tools they use is explained in Dr Anne-Marie Brady's ground breaking paper Magic Weapons: China's political influence activities under Xi Jinping. She further discusses this in Chinese interference: Anne-Marie Brady's full submission to the NZ Parliament Justice Select Committee made this month.
The MSS is also helped by "China’s National Intelligence Law (2017) [which] obligates Chinese citizens and companies to assist China’s intelligence work." (Brady, 2019, Submission to NZ Parliament Justice Select Committee). This creates problems for non Chinese entities when dealing with Chinese companies, especially in sensitive areas. We Can’t Tell if Chinese Firms Work for the Party. Or if you just want to focus on Huawei Huawei has ended a national illusion, Huawei had unauthorised access to people's computers, or Huawei decision looms over NZ. Huawei in NZ have gone on a media blitz through advertising and getting on the news claiming innocence Huawei boss says they'd have been 'kicked out' of NZ if they were spies, however each time they do neglect to mention China's National Intelligence Law (2017).
Therefore I do think that a pattern is emerging illustrating Chinese efforts to subvert nations in the Asia Pacific region from their current status quo to a situation where they are subservient to the PRC and possibly vassal states. The PRC are playing the long game and have been for many years, however Xi Jinping has accelerated the timeline for his own purposes. This bodes ill for non PRC nations within the Asia Pacific region.
The PRC has an agency, the Ministry of State Security (MSS) that is part intelligence agency and part police agency. A Chinese version of the KGB, maybe but I think possibly closer to the East German SSD (Staatssicherheitsdienst - a.k.a., Stasi) in style and operation - highly efficient and thorough. I would not be surprised in the slightest if the SSD - Stasi had people in it who were part of Heydrich's Sicherheitsdienst (SD) the feared security department of the SS. The MSS is believed to have been formed in 1983 and I do wonder if the SSD provided training and mentoring at some stage, or disaffected SSD personnel did after the collapse of the Soviet Bloc and East Germany. The SSD had a brilliant intelligence head in Markus Wolf who penetrated the highest echelons of West German govt circles and NATO.
In recent years there has been significant hacking of countries national IT networks and infrastructure by foreign state and non state actors. Three state actors spring to mind, Russia, North Korea and the PRC. Recently the Australian Parliament's information service was hacked by an undisclosed sophisticated state actor and much suspicion has be cast upon the PRC and more specifically the MSS. Attributing the hack on Australia’s parliament will give clarity to the China relationship | The Strategist. This would follow the pattern of aggressive Chinese actions against it's neighbours and western interests since Xi Jinping has taken control of the PRC and embarked upon a policy of purges, one man control and a cult of personality with Xi thought etc., now being taught and enshrined as part of the constitution.
How the PRC under Xi subverts and influences foreigners and foreign nations and the tools they use is explained in Dr Anne-Marie Brady's ground breaking paper Magic Weapons: China's political influence activities under Xi Jinping. She further discusses this in Chinese interference: Anne-Marie Brady's full submission to the NZ Parliament Justice Select Committee made this month.
The MSS is also helped by "China’s National Intelligence Law (2017) [which] obligates Chinese citizens and companies to assist China’s intelligence work." (Brady, 2019, Submission to NZ Parliament Justice Select Committee). This creates problems for non Chinese entities when dealing with Chinese companies, especially in sensitive areas. We Can’t Tell if Chinese Firms Work for the Party. Or if you just want to focus on Huawei Huawei has ended a national illusion, Huawei had unauthorised access to people's computers, or Huawei decision looms over NZ. Huawei in NZ have gone on a media blitz through advertising and getting on the news claiming innocence Huawei boss says they'd have been 'kicked out' of NZ if they were spies, however each time they do neglect to mention China's National Intelligence Law (2017).
Therefore I do think that a pattern is emerging illustrating Chinese efforts to subvert nations in the Asia Pacific region from their current status quo to a situation where they are subservient to the PRC and possibly vassal states. The PRC are playing the long game and have been for many years, however Xi Jinping has accelerated the timeline for his own purposes. This bodes ill for non PRC nations within the Asia Pacific region.
