cyberespionage

U.S. companies must understand that in many cases they are no longer simply competing with corporate rivals. They are competing with the nation-states supporting their corporate rivals.

For the past several months, American policymakers have sought to convince allies, partners and potential partners to ban Chinese telecommunications company Huawei from supplying the entirety of, or components for, 5G communications networks around the world. This messaging campaign has centered primarily around concerns that Huawei could assist the Chinese government in spying on other countries or even shutting down or manipulating their 5G networks in a warlike scenario.

Editor's Note: Sanctions on China are again in the air as policymakers look on Beijing's provocative regional policies with dismay. Although many experts argue that sanctions would achieve little and might even backfire, Zack Cooper and Eric Lorber, at CSIS and the Financial Integrity Network respectively, argue that limited and targeted sanctions can make China more hesitant to engage in aggressive behavior.

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When the U.S. and China reached an agreement in late September not to engage in commercially motivated cyber espionage it was viewed as a significant step forward in cybersecurity relations between the two countries.