New York Governor Kathy Hawkle had a suspected Chinese spy in her office for almost a decade without anyone realizing it. Unfortunately, there are probably many more.
The news this morning that former Deputy Chief of Staff Linda Sun had been indicted on charges of aiding Chinese officials, falsifying official documents and lining her own pockets took the media by surprise, but this is nothing new.
High-profile news about Chinese espionage activities occurs several times a year. Military,of Technology,and AcademicsWho can forget the story about California Congressman Eric Swalwell being caught having sex with a Chinese spy named Fan Fan? Ian Fleming himself couldn't have written it any better.
But all this is just the tip of the iceberg. Sabotage seems to run deeper than anyone, especially in the US bureaucracy, wants to admit. The “Washington Consensus” on China is that if you can get away with it, you go along with it. The noble fools will talk about the “Thucydides Trap” – that accepting China's rise is the “strategic” choice for continued “economic growth” and “peaceful international relations”. But that's bullshit. They are all powerless to confront a real rival, and are perfectly happy to indulge in utopian dreams of world domination, as long as they don't have to pay the price personally.
So if China is found to be spying, the default response is, “Well, why rock the boat?”
The alleged spy in Hawkle's office had been there for almost a decade. How many opportunities to catch her were missed because skeptics turned a blind eye? How many more Linda Suns are still active today, enjoying the same ideological interests? Unfortunately, we'll probably never know.
