China’s economic challenge is well established, and at least in the natsec arena, her growing military capabilities gain respect with each passing year. The goal has always been to set the conditions to fully press the position as the United States as the world’s premier power.

Just putting the 2nd and 3rd order effects of the Chinese actions related to COVID-19 to the side for discussions SEPCOR, what other areas in the last year has China’s challenge been brought up to a significant level?

Outside economics, diplomatically look at their growing influence with international organizations: two recent examples:
1. The wholesale bringing of the World Health Organization in to alignment with CCP talking points.
2. At the UN, a statement of concern over the treatment of China’s Uyghur ethnic/religious minority only had 23 signatories. At roughly the same time, there were 54 signatories giving support to China’s “anti-terrorism” efforts in East Turkestan.

They have a diplomatic push, a solid economic effort, and a spotty but not totally ineffective informational effort in support of CCP policies around the world.

Perhaps those are a bit boring and hard to focus on in light of 2020’s 24-second news cycle … but today’s military related news might help everyone to focus;

China may have secretly set off low-level underground nuclear test explosions despite claiming to observe an international pact banning such blasts, the U.S. State Department said in a report on Wednesday that could fuel U.S.-Chinese tensions.

The finding, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, may worsen ties already strained by U.S. charges that the global COVID-19 pandemic resulted from Beijing’s mishandling of a 2019 outbreak of the coronavirus in the city of Wuhan.
…
“China’s possible preparation to operate its Lop Nur test site year-round, its use of explosive containment chambers, extensive excavation activities at Lop Nur and a lack of transparency on its nuclear testing activities … raise concerns regarding its adherence to the zero yield standard,” the report said without providing evidence of a low-yield test.

Beijing’s lack of transparency included blocking data transmissions from sensors linked to a monitoring center operated by the international agency that verifies compliance with a treaty banning nuclear test explosions.

History is waking up all over the place.

It would be helpful to the international community for the CCP to stop with the lack of transparency on issues that impact global stability, from disease to nuclear monitoring. Unfortunately, communist nations do not relish transparency – even when there is no downside to being transparent besides surrendering 100% control.

The WSJ’s nuclear test report today may just be a byproduct of the lack of transparency, and we should all hope that is the case. Second only to letting the nuclear genie back out of the bottle, would be a less than helpful reaction to false impressions derived from false assumptions.

History is full examples of the last point leading to even larger mistakes. We should always keep in mind who we are dealing with, and react – or better yet not react – accordingly.