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Federal officials have labeled Boston a major target of Chinese spies who are looking to steal trade and technology secrets from the US.
US Assistant Attorney General John Demers, who leads a federal force against Chinese espionage in America, said Massachusetts had become a focus of his team's work, the Associated Press reported.
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Massachusetts is home to top-ranked universities including Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It also hosts military contractors such as weapon maker Raytheon and defense system provider Mercury Systems.As part of the China Initiative, officials said they had met with local companies and colleges last week to encourage them to bring suspected instances of espionage to the attention of federal investigators.
Lelling said the large number of Chinese nationals living in Boston also made the city a potential espionage target, but officials added that most were in the US for legitimate reasons, such as study.
Technology workers should keep a close eye on Wang?
(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Wednesday April 10 2019, @07:51AM (5 children)
I just started reading Civilization: The West And The Rest [goodreads.com] by Niall Ferguson. I haven't gotten very far yet, but Ferguson has already discussed this at some length. Given the turmoil and bullying that contact with the west has caused, starting in the mid 1600s or so, the Chinese have learned their lesson about turning away from the world.
Aside from the China stuff, there's quite a bit to recommend the book as well.
That they censor their people and media from around the world is unsurprising. But that in no way suggests that they will turn inward economically or militarily again.
As Azume pointed out, they haven't forgotten the opium wars or the centuries of bullying, condescension and bad deals forced down their throats at the point of a gun.
I don't think that necessarily means eventual war with China, but they're not turning their backs on the world any more. Things are too interconnected and they have too much to lose by turning inward again.
What does that mean for the rest of the world? I have no idea. I am pretty sure that if there is a reckoning with China coming, it won't be before I'm dead or too old to notice.
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 2) by RamiK on Wednesday April 10 2019, @10:58AM (4 children)
1. No war since all the major players have nukes.
2. The US is turning inwards just the same despite all that inter-connectivity.
3. The great firewall IS them turning inwards. See my above post.
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(Score: 3, Insightful) by NotSanguine on Wednesday April 10 2019, @11:28AM (3 children)
Never underestimate the power of stupidity and paranoia combined. For everyone's sake, I hope you're right.
But wars don't have to go nuclear to be incredibly damaging to, well, everything.
Some, but certainly not most, in the US are doing so. And we have an egomaniac tyro honking everyone off. We can fix that.
I disagree. They are in no way turning inward either militarily, economically or culturally for that matter.
The Great Firewall is an instrument of internal control, not a turning away from the rest of the world.
I did read your post. And I responded, at some length, to it.
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 2) by RamiK on Thursday April 11 2019, @02:21AM (1 child)
There's no distinction. It's like a parent trying to keep the children from porn. Nothing short of cutting yourself from the world can do that. And what skills would your child be able to demonstrate when they grow up like that?
See my other, other reply for why it's all doomed to fail.
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(Score: 3, Insightful) by NotSanguine on Thursday April 11 2019, @04:15AM
Again, I disagree. Although I think (please correct me if I'm wrong) that's because we're arguing two different points.
I'm arguing (which continued the discussion you and Azuma were having) that China will never again turn itself away from the rest of the world as it did after the death of the Yongle emperor and the mothballing/destruction of Zheng He's fleet.
You seem to be arguing that the current Chinese government is doomed to failure because of its repressive ways. That's certainly a plausible scenario, but isn't really related to the topic I thought we were discussing.,
Those are *not* mutually exclusive outcomes. I posit that Chinese political, economic, military and cultural engagement with the world will continue regardless of the fate of the current regime.
Does that cover it, or am I missing something?
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 2, Insightful) by khallow on Thursday April 11 2019, @12:29PM
You can disagree all you want, but the Great Firewall is indeed an example of them turning inwards. So is their "social credit" scheme that Azuma mentioned. These are both filters of external ideas and thus, have the effect that you claim they don't have.