Nicole Perlroth

If you ask me, the most underreported issue of the past five years is not what's happening on our physical borders. It is the total collapse of our digital borders. And the fact, and it is now fact, that China's hackers are, at this very moment, Lurking inside our water, our power, our ports, our communications, our railway, our aviation networks. Sitting idle, waiting.

If you ask me, the most underreported issue of the past five years is not what's happening on our physical borders. It is the total collapse of our digital borders. And the fact, and it is now fact, that China's hackers are, at this very moment, Lurking inside our water, our power, our ports, our communications, our railway, our aviation networks. Sitting idle, waiting.

I repeat, the PRC is inside the house. Through meticulous infiltration of our most critical infrastructure, the PRC has assembled a big red button, one they can press at any moment to trigger nationwide panic and chaos. That's terrifying enough all on its own. But then you take a closer look at China's own military doctrine.

I repeat, the PRC is inside the house. Through meticulous infiltration of our most critical infrastructure, the PRC has assembled a big red button, one they can press at any moment to trigger nationwide panic and chaos. That's terrifying enough all on its own. But then you take a closer look at China's own military doctrine.

In 1999, two senior PLA colonels, Wang Xianghui and Qiao Liang, wrote a book. A manifesto, really. They called it Unrestricted Warfare. And here is a direct quote. Whether it be the intrusions of hackers, a major explosion at the World Trade Center, or a bombing attack by bin Laden, all of these greatly exceed the frequency bandwidths understood by the American military.

In 1999, two senior PLA colonels, Wang Xianghui and Qiao Liang, wrote a book. A manifesto, really. They called it Unrestricted Warfare. And here is a direct quote. Whether it be the intrusions of hackers, a major explosion at the World Trade Center, or a bombing attack by bin Laden, all of these greatly exceed the frequency bandwidths understood by the American military.

Littered throughout their manifesto are haunting references to bin Laden and a bombing at the World Trade Center. And again, this published in 1999, two years before 9-11. But their real focus was how China could gain the upper hand against the most advanced military in the world. Their answer? Unrestricted warfare.

Littered throughout their manifesto are haunting references to bin Laden and a bombing at the World Trade Center. And again, this published in 1999, two years before 9-11. But their real focus was how China could gain the upper hand against the most advanced military in the world. Their answer? Unrestricted warfare.

Essentially, their premise is that China should widen the battlefield, go beyond direct military confrontation with the United States, and take the fight directly to civilians. By hacking into our civilian infrastructure, and they specifically name the U.S. power grid, our banking systems, transportation and telecommunication systems, the PRC could not only physically incapacitate the U.S.,

Essentially, their premise is that China should widen the battlefield, go beyond direct military confrontation with the United States, and take the fight directly to civilians. By hacking into our civilian infrastructure, and they specifically name the U.S. power grid, our banking systems, transportation and telecommunication systems, the PRC could not only physically incapacitate the U.S.,

but weaken our will to fight. And they could do all of this without firing a single bullet.

but weaken our will to fight. And they could do all of this without firing a single bullet.

Taiwan. For listeners coming in blind, what we've been seeing with these cyber attacks has really brought Taiwan to the fore.

Taiwan. For listeners coming in blind, what we've been seeing with these cyber attacks has really brought Taiwan to the fore.

That was Jim Lewis, who specializes in and has been directly engaged in talks with the CCP on Chinese cyber threats. And like he noted, the CCP has long, shall we say, tolerated Taiwan's de facto autonomy so long as it didn't push for formal independence. But that shifted when Xi Jinping came to power in 2012. He took a much harder line on Taiwan.

That was Jim Lewis, who specializes in and has been directly engaged in talks with the CCP on Chinese cyber threats. And like he noted, the CCP has long, shall we say, tolerated Taiwan's de facto autonomy so long as it didn't push for formal independence. But that shifted when Xi Jinping came to power in 2012. He took a much harder line on Taiwan.

Xi steps up the rhetoric dramatically. He starts calling China's quote-unquote reunification with Taiwan inevitable. Pretty quickly, he makes clear that Taiwan is the final puzzle piece in his grand vision for what the Chinese Communist Party calls the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. And that great rejuvenation, it's not just rhetorical flourish. It has a deadline, 2049.

Xi steps up the rhetoric dramatically. He starts calling China's quote-unquote reunification with Taiwan inevitable. Pretty quickly, he makes clear that Taiwan is the final puzzle piece in his grand vision for what the Chinese Communist Party calls the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. And that great rejuvenation, it's not just rhetorical flourish. It has a deadline, 2049.

2049 marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The CCP sees it as China's comeuppance. If they consider the century leading up to 1949 as their century of humiliation, as they call it, then the party sees the period between 1949 and 2049 as the century that rightly restores China to its place as a global superpower.

2049 marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The CCP sees it as China's comeuppance. If they consider the century leading up to 1949 as their century of humiliation, as they call it, then the party sees the period between 1949 and 2049 as the century that rightly restores China to its place as a global superpower.