Discussion on Irregular Warfare Podcast: Chinese Political Strategy and Warfare Tactics
In a recent insightful podcast episode, David Stilwell, the assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, and Dr. Ross Babbage, a nonresident senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, delve into the intricate world of China's political warfare.
The discussion, which can be found on various podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, Spotify, and others, offers a comprehensive analysis of China's political warfare approach. This approach, centred on preserving the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) political security and socialist system, emphasises the survival of the regime as inseparable from national security.
China's political warfare strategy encompasses ideological control, suppression of dissent, and resistance to Western ideas, which are considered existential threats to stability. Key elements include the Holistic Security Doctrine, the Three Warfares Strategy, Information and Cognitive Domain Operations, United Front Work, Cyber Sovereignty and Internet Control, and more.
The podcast also highlights how China's political warfare differs from that of the U.S. and its allies. While China focuses on regime and party survival and political security as paramount, the U.S. and its allies prioritise protecting state sovereignty and liberal democratic norms.
The guests offer several examples of China's political warfare in action, such as influence operations targeting Taiwanese sovereignty and democratic elections in the U.S., United Front efforts to co-opt religious and political figures globally to promote CCP policies, and cyber operations exploiting AI and advanced communication for strategic advantage and censorship.
The podcast episode also sheds light on countermeasures employed by the U.S. and its allies, including public exposure and transparency efforts, strengthening legal frameworks, cyber defenses and intelligence sharing, supporting democratic resilience, and diplomatic warnings and sanctions.
Listeners can access the podcast on various digital mediums, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or by email. The episode is hosted by Adam Darnley-Stuart and Julia McClenon and is available for listening or downloading. To stay updated on the podcast, it is recommended to subscribe to it.
The guests also share recommendations on how to counter China's political warfare, and offer examples of China's information operations. Dr. Ross Babbage, the author of the book "The Next Major War: Can the US and its Allies Win against China?", provides valuable insights throughout the discussion.
Interestingly, David Stilwell, a retired US Air Force officer, and former director of the China Strategic Focus Group at US Indo-Pacific Command, brings a wealth of experience to the table. The podcast can also be printed for offline reading, and can be easily accessed and subscribed to for future updates. The image credit for the article is given to Petty Officer 1st Class Dominique A. Pineiro, US Navy.
In the intricate discussion about China's political warfare, it is revealed that the Three Warfares Strategy, a key aspect of China's approach, prioritizes regime survival and political security, differing significantly from the U.S. and its allies, who focus on protecting state sovereignty and liberal democratic norms. Furthermore, the podcast reveals various examples of China's political warfare in action, such as influence operations targeting Taiwanese sovereignty, United Front efforts against religious and political figures worldwide, and cyber operations exploiting AI and advanced communication for strategic advantage.
