Recently there have been hackers using Chinese infrastructure to try to hack into the Philippians government. Which the Philippines see as a major threat, especially with their upcoming elections for president. However, China has put out a statement from the China embassy in Manila that China is planning to crack down on cyber security attacks coming from Chinese infrastructure. They did this to help ease the Philippines tensions but still despite this the Philippines are starting a 5 year project in which to strengthen their cyber defense. In the meantime, they will have to trust the Chinese government’s stance which is firmly against any kind of cyber-attacks being used with China infrastructure. According to Chinese law, the government will not uphold any form of cyber attack, and no country, state, or individual should become involved with cyber attacks. I think China’s approach to the issue is very interesting because at least in the United States media many would believe that China does pose a cyber security threat for the United States. This narrative leads me to believe that China could be lying to the Philippines to make the relations more friendly. When in reality they are trying to meddle in the elections to encourage whichever president will have more favorable relations with them and support China’s efforts to get into the Pacific easier. If I were a Filipino I would be extremely worried about the reasons for China’s possible involvement and as an American, I think this is something the United States should take note of because this possible effort would help block the United States plan of containment. I think this can be related to class because this is a security threat. Not only does the hackers using China’s infrastructure affect the Philippines it also shows that it can be done to other countries that may not have the means to protect themselves. And while this is not a war of any means it is certainly something that other countries have to be aware of. I think in the future we will see cyber security only grow in importance as other countries try to protect themselves from these kinds of threats.
