Another leading Chinese PLA strategist, Zeng Huafeng of the National University of Defense Technology (NUDT), wrote of a cognitive, or mind, war on the United States, and proposed how to defeat us without firing a shot. NUDT works with ByteDance on national artificial intelligence projects involving the Chinese military. Zeng defines the “cognitive space” as “the area in which feelings, perception, understanding, beliefs, and values exist” and argues that this is where the battle can be won. To that end, he said, Beijing must use “information and popular spiritual and cultural products as weapons to influence people’s psychology, will, attitude, behavior and even change the ideology, values, cultural traditions and social systems.” According to Zeng, these cultural tools, including apps, video games, and films, should be used to “target individuals, groups, countries, and even people around the world.”
Stop and contemplate what these two prominent strategists in China are saying about the “cultural products” we invite into our homes and minds: they are to be used to steer people’s psychology and change their values and cultural traditions. Zeng argues that Beijing can win “mind superiority” through:
- “Perception manipulation” via propaganda, by changing how people look at the present
- “Cutting off historical memory” by warping their views of their own country’s past so people will be open to changing their values
- “Changing the paradigm of thinking” by targeting people to change the way they view problems and thereby changing their beliefs
- “Deconstructing symbols,” by getting people to reject certain traditional symbols and thereby modifying a nation’s identity
But here is the kicker: “The ultimate goal is to manipulate a country’s values and achieve strategic goals without an actual overt military battle.” (Emphasis added.) Sun Tzu could not have said it better.
Source: Blood Money: Why the Powerful Turn a Blind Eye While China Kills Americans (2024) by Peter Schweizer.
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