https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2018-10-04/the-big-hack-how-china-used-a-tiny-chip-to-infiltrate-america-s-top-companies
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The detective work in tracking down the chips was interesting, but finding them in the first place was strictly fortuitous: nobody, apparently, was really looking for gremlins.
This was, to me, the most chilling statement in the Bloomberg report, because you can’t fix this level of stupid:

“Over the decades, the security of the supply chain became an article of faith despite repeated warnings by Western officials. A belief formed that China was unlikely to jeopardize its position as workshop to the world by letting its spies meddle in its factories. That left the decision about where to build commercial systems resting largely on where capacity was greatest and cheapest. “You end up with a classic Satan’s bargain,” one former U.S. official says. “You can have less supply than you want and guarantee it’s secure, or you can have the supply you need, but there will be risk. Every organization has accepted the second proposition.” “

Mel Williams: Thanks for commenting!

America’s problems are obvious and serious. We headed towards some unpleasant reckoning without a doubt. But name another major country doing better.

The US mostly has to stop doing stupid stuff and it will right itself, though it will be painful. I’m a good deal less sure about Europe.

Putin’s Russia is circling the drain, though they will continue to be dangerous.

The Chinese leaders IMO are riding the tiger. As long as they can keep delivering continued economic improvements to the people, they will remain in power. But if that falters, all bets are off.

They have done well as with their odd compromise between command control and market economy. But to throw in another animal metaphor — I’m not sure how long they can keep making the elephant dance.

http://www.ishr.org/countries/peoples-republic-of-china/systematic-torture-in-the-peoples-republic-of-china/

I recall her coming back from a similar trip about 5 years ago. At that time the Xi anti-corruption push was just getting started, and most Chinese assumed it was just another round of rhetoric – there would be some token action taken and then the normal corruption would gradually resume, as it always has. They don’t think that any more.

My wife belongs to a few WeChat groups (Chinese all use WeChat to connect with mostly their old school groups) and she says folks have totally self-censored. China is clamping down.

She told me of one of her old friends who is now a dentist. She said the lady just “goes to work, comes home and shuts out the world, and plans on which country to visit for vacation”. IOW, most just withdraw into their own little world because it’s safer and easier that way.

Seems China can never find a balance. Anyone who has read of the first 10 years of the PRC knows that the Communist Party cleaned up much of the petty corruption. The price, though, was a total clamping down on any deviation from the Party line. And we know where that ended up.

Interestingly, my wife got a chance to talk to a 12-13 year old daughter of a friend, and asked her what she knew of the Cultural Revolution. The school books now define those years as the ‘Party Searching’ period. She knew nothing of the death and destruction and of causes.

My wife and I conclude that all the US has to do is get its own house in some reasonable order (like basic rule of law, which lack of drives my wife crazy) and that China, amazing to my wife, is going down a path that will be her own undoing. China has been here before.

The warrant for Meng was apparently issued on August 22 and she (and the Chinese gov’t no doubt) was aware of that and therefore had been avoiding the US despite her son going to college here. This apparently was why she was going through Vancouver on the way to Mexico. Which is the second problem with the deep state plot. How would they have planned this out to have her come to Canada on that night so they could arrest her? And how high up was the knowledge that she had a warrant out on her? Very high I hope.

I’ve still not got a real good feel for why the Canadians went along with this because she obviously didn’t think they would arrest her hence her connection through Canada.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2018-10-04/the-big-hack-how-china-used-a-tiny-chip-to-infiltrate-america-s-top-companies

Those who assert that economic considerations dominate China’s actions, goals and thinking are engaged in wishful thinking. China has and is using capitalism and Western investment in China’s industrialization to first gain economic parity with and then economically surpass the U.S.

It has for decades been using it’s increasing economic might to develop the advanced military technology needed to intimidate the US into submission. Does anyone imagine that a leftist/democrat administration would ‘blink first’ in a future confrontation that risked nuclear war?

China envisions and is committed to replacing the US as the world’s preeminent superpower. Xi’s silk “belt and road initiative” is a strategic step in preparation toward that goal.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belt_and_Road_Initiative#/media/File%3AOne-belt-one-road.svg