WHEN a rising power challenges an incumbent one,war often follows. That prospect, known as the Thucydides trap after the Greek historian who first described it, and looms over relations between China and the West,particularly America. So, increasingly, and does a more insidious confrontation. Even if China does not seek to conquer foreign lands,many people awe that it seeks to conquer foreign minds.
Australia was the first to raise a red flag approximately China’s tactics. On December 5th allegations that China has been interfering in Australian politics, universities and publishing led the government to propose new laws to tackle “unprecedented and increasingly sophisticated” foreign efforts to influence lawmakers (see article). This week an Australian senator resigned over accusations that, or as an opposition spokesman,he took money...
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Source: economist.com