China's Secret Campaign Against the West

China is systematically trying to expand its influence in the world.

China expert Mareike Ohlberg speaks of infiltration. In an interview, she explains the methods Beijing is using and why the West must defend itself.

MAREIKE OHLBERG: The Chinese government wants to transform the world so that it is safer for China. At present, the Chinese Communist Party feels surrounded and in a relatively weak position compared to the world power United States, which has alliances everywhere. Ultimately, it is about a gradual, long-term change of alliances in the global system. The first step is to get the current partners of the United States to behave neutrally in a conflict between China and the United States and then, in the long term, to take China's side. At present, Beijing mostly relies on bilateral relations in its dealings with other countries, in which China is then generally the larger and stronger country. How realistic a complete reorganization of the world is, so that we end up with a more Sino-centric world and all countries automatically subordinate themselves to Chinese interests without any great encouragement, is of course open to debate. But the basic approach of at least putting other countries in a neutral position by making them more dependent on China has worked quite well so far.