It’s neither a hot war or a cold war yet, but China is at battle with us whether we know it or not. Its goal is to replace the United States by 2049, the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party’s rise as the predominant power in the world and destroy free market capitalism. The Chinese Communist Party believes that it is its rightful destiny to reclaim its historical dominion over the world.

While China’s intentions in this new war are clear, its methods are less clear. According to Sun Tzu, a Chinese general, strategist, philosopher, and writer who lived during the Fifth Century BC, wrote in his classic book “The Art of War” that war encompasses all aspects of human endeavor, not just armed conflict. The secret is to confuse the enemy so that he can never discover your real intentions. Sun Tzu went on to write “The supreme act of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.

When China began entering the world economy during the Richard Nixon administration, the West tended to treat China as a developing nation. The U.S. pursued a policy of engagement allowing China into the World Trade Organization and giving it the most favored nation status feeling that as China developed her industry and a consumer culture that she would eventually cast off Marxism and the police state for some form of democratic capitalism.

That never happened. Under its current leader Xi Jinping, a form of capitalism exists but the regime has become more repressive.

While we weren’t looking, China was stealing our intellectual properties, our technology while devastating entire manufacturing industries in the U.S. and Europe by providing the same goods at large discounts. At the same time the United States educated an entire generation of Chinese engineers and scientists at our best universities and colleges.

China doesn’t just supply basic domestic items that were discounted but also components for our computers, for our weapons systems and aircraft avionics. Also, many of our pharmaceuticals, including lifesaving antibiotics, antiviral medications and thousands of other medical items. China has won the trade war with us through the production of high quality products sold at large discounts. I believe this will be the most difficult issue to fix in our competition with that nation

The Chinese are also buying up agricultural land, land near major military bases. They have also bought or acquired stakes in major American companies like Smithfield Foods, GE Appliances, AMC Entertainment, Motorola Mobility the maker of my smartphone, and 49% of General Motors.

The Chinese are also inserting agents into our political life. In New York, Chinese American Linda Sun was charged with functioning as an undisclosed agent of the Chinese government while working for both former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and current Gov. Kathy Hochul. In those positions, Sun blocked Taiwanese officials from access to the governor’s office, and shaped New York state governmental messaging to align with Chinese government priorities.

There was the case of California Congressman Eric Swalwell’s (D-Calif.) alleged dalliance with the notorious Chinese female operative “Fang Fang” who was once a campaign worker for Swalwell. It also came to light that the late Sen. Diane Feinstein’s driver for 20 years was a Chinese agent.

Back in 2023, a Chinese balloon flew over the U.S. with impunity giving the intelligence boys in Beijing a close up view of our military bases and missile silos and who knows what else.

It has been reported that 20,000 Chinese males of military age have illegally entered the U.S. over the porous southern border during the Biden administration. To those who think that these were just boys coming here for a better life please understand that no one leaves China without the expressed approval of the Chinese government.

We all remember the recent COVID-19 Pandemic had its origin in a Chinese lab in Wuhan China. It is well to remember that as soon as the Chinese discovered what was happening it stopped all travel from Wuhan to the rest of China but not to the rest of the world. It is very likely that the Communist party leadership made note of how the virus spread and the reaction it caused in our country and the rest of the world.

The real purpose behind our building of the Panama Canal was so the U.S. Navy could move its vessels between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans without going around Cape Horn which was a problem during the Spanish-American War. In 1977, President Carter was part of a treaty with Panama and now a Chinese company Hutcheson-Whampoa runs the ports at each end of the canal. In addition, Huawei, a Chinese company, provides telecommunications systems in Panama. In 2022 General Laura Richardson, then Commander of the US Southern Command stated that in her opinion the many Chinese owned enterprises on both sides of the canal could be quickly converted to military uses.

I believe that incoming President Donald Trump has every reason to be concerned about Chinese intentions in Panama and the rest of the world. Americans must understand that China is no longer just an aggressive trading partner but a powerful nation that in its clearly stated drive to replace us as the world’s great power will do what is necessary to achieve that goal. Make no mistake, China is our enemy.

Thomas Kirkpatrick Sr. is a Silver Creek resident. Send comments to editorial@observertoday.com