Is it with the NSA/Snowden security leak that the beliefs of China sceptics like myself are confirmed by actual events or is this the point where we slip somewhat off into over wrought cynical fantasy worthy of conspiracy theory wack jobs? Dunno. Thing to keep in mind I'd say is that even if China didn't manufacture this leak, this bait and switch, as a way of disarming US attacks on their cyber crimes [that the leak coincided with Xi Jinping's meeting with Obama seems remarkably fortuitous - still, does seem like quite a stretch and abuse of credulity - then again, what is cold blooded calculation without a willingness to ruthlessly exploit an opponent's good intentions?] - regardless, thing to keep in mind is that even if they're not behind it it's still not at all utterly beyond belief that they could and would manufacture a scheme like this - hell, there's plenty of evidence out there to suggest the PLA on its own might concoct and put in play such a scheme - and that's an important point to remember.
I'm not anti-China [god forbid] - I am fiercely anti American gullibility when it comes to China [but gullibility can't really be wilful, can it? With Obama, the distinction get's blurred]. I do tend to see a dark motive behind every move China makes or is implied by something they do or say and that's because I believe they believe that their domestic security and preservation of the communist regime [one in the same thing to them] are utterly dependent on getting America out of the Pacific and then using economic coercion as a means of controlling their neighbors and potential competitors. Remember, viz competitors, once you remove size there's nothing special or unique about what China's doing here, others can emulate it and are busy trying to emulate it - China itself is in most ways simply copying what Japan did to rise from the ashes of WW2 - but of course with huge exceptions: Japan was more or less a democracy, allied to the US, and consequent to that alliance had zero military aspirations and no need to look upon its neighbors as looming threats nor of [anymore] equating domination over them as a necessary component of power - furthermore, it was not burdened with a population so large as to be virtually unmanageable nor did it harbor [anymore] deep resentments of its colonial past and feelings of an unjust inferiority itching to be exorcised.
[although I suppose Snowden revealing himself and his whereabouts suggests China's hand is not in play here - don't imagine they'd want people knowing he was in Hong Kong because that looks orchestrated and way too close to home - still, can Snowden really be so stupid as to believe he's safe in Hong Kong? If he's a delusional sicko, guess he could have convinced himself of that - or maybe his plan always was to seek asylum in China - but would they take him? Doubt it - my guess is they'd let him think they'd take him, squeeze intel out of him and then ship him off to America - can't imagine they'd want the complication of granting him actual asylum - then again, their hackers would love to stretch him over some hot coals. It's very, very hard to accept at face value the timing of this - still, him running to Hong Kong as if there's sanctuary there has got me thinking this is just some middling level geek indulging delusions of grandeur as means of assuaging ravages of some emotional crisis - I mean, who does something like this and then runs off to Hong Kong thinking that's gonna save your ass? But... if you're a Chinese asset, isn't that how they'd be playing you? Sure! Come to Hong Kong - we've got your back, friend... set you up with some real fine Asian courtesans... quick sidebar - what horrors could you rain down on American cyber security by setting loose an army of Kitty Zhang lookalikes amongst our geekdom?...]
[truth is though I really don't know what I'm talking about nor probably does anyone else not initiated into the highly specialised and highly secretive SIGINT club - our cyber incursions into Chinese space are no doubt equal to if not indeed far surpassing theirs into ours - who knows? - maybe we're so much into each other's backyards at this point that nothing is a surprise, nothing is hidden - we know what they're trying to do and they know what we're trying to do - of course can't be that simple, never is - not that knowing everything would make things simple - strategy would become highly problematic - and I'm wondering, if cyber espionage is so extensive that you can never be really sure what your enemies do or do not know, doesn't strategy perforce get shoved into the realm of the obvious? Hmmnn... so, for example, we know Iran is trying to build a bomb, they know we know - so why all the game playing? And if we don't stop them, having known all along what they're up to, what does that mean? What are the implications? Or if for instance China was indeed behind Snowden leak, they'd have to know, or at least assume we knew that - so, as I'm saying, strategy gets pushed out into the open as a consequence, yes? And what does that lead to? But of course if we knew why let it happen? Which must mean China had nothing to do with it, right? That would be the optimists take on it. I dunno. Frustrating. Interesting question though - will the perfecting of cyber espionage render strategy as we have known it obsolete? What would be the consequences of something like that? What if it became impossible for a business to protect its intellectual property, its secrets? You'd be reduced to a position of utter vulnerability of having to trust your competitors to obey the law - take that dynamic and stretch it across the globe - sounds like a recipe for chaos to me.]
[of course, even if you wanna concede China's point that both sides are heavily invested in cyber espionage, fact is that's a false equivalency because, yes, we may be after certain 'strategic' info viz their military etc etc - but they don't have technological assets that we feel we need to steal nor do their companies have intellectual property that our gov't wants to illegally ferry to our companies in order to allow them to 'compete' - all of which China is of course doing, stealing our military tech in order to try and catch up and stealing the intellectual property of our companies in order to undermine them - so yes, we're both in each others cyber backyards, but similarity ends there]
