China uses ‘strategic deception,’ exploits weaknesses, forms opportunistic alliances

China is using strategic deception to advance its strategy of seeking a preeminent world position, and understanding Beijing’s use of duplicity in statecraft is critical for successful American policies, according to Miles Yu, a former State Department policymaker and expert on the Chinese military.

Mr. Yu said in a report published by the Hoover Institution that Henry Kissinger understood Chinese deception well, saying that leader Mao Zedong showed “an almost instinctive ability to misdirect his opponent, creating illusions of weakness where the strength lay and vice versa.”

For China, strategic deception is shaped by concepts of realpolitik dating back to the Warring States era, between 475 B.C. and 221 B.C., and combined with revised Marxist dialectical thinking. Realpolitik influence uses pragmatism, deception and unprincipled flexibility, while Marxist dialectical thinking is used to understand and manipulate contradictions to drive progress.

“Together, these two perspectives offer the [Chinese Communist Party] a toolkit of strategies for managing complex and conflicting interests both domestically and internationally, enabling a highly adaptive and multilayered approach to governance that frequently is duplicitous,” Mr. Yu said in a report for Hoover’s Military History in Contemporary Conflict Working Group.

From the Warring States period, China’s current leaders believe power can be secured and preserved through deception, exploiting weaknesses and forming opportunistic alliances without regard for strict principles or ideological commitment.

For China’s leaders, this approach complements Marxist principles that regard contradictions as inherent in social and political life and engines for change.

In practice, current “socialism with Chinese characteristics” combines capitalist market practices with communist rhetoric and is justified as necessary for China’s modernization.

The synthesis permits the blending of capitalism and socialism. “For instance, China maintains economic relationships with Western nations, benefiting from global trade and investment — while simultaneously it acts contradictorily to the foundational principles of the Western free market system, aligning itself with states that challenge Western influence such as Russia and North Korea,” Mr. Yu said.

Inside China, strategic duplicity applies the Warring States-Marxist approach through enforcement of strict ideological conformity under a centralized, authoritarian system, but can be flexible in the face of internal pressures.

For example, China’s draconian “zero COVID” lockdowns and policies in response to the recent pandemic were quickly abandoned after protests and opposition erupted in late 2022.

Ideological flexibility can also be seen in the Chinese government’s public advocacy of socialism while permitting capitalist elements like non-state enterprises to drive economic growth. China’s aggressive policies of seeking to annex Taiwan and control the South China Sea also employ strategic flexibility.

“China publicly asserts a desire for peaceful reunification with Taiwan while building military capabilities and establishing economic dependencies that increase its leverage over the region,” Mr. Yu said.

“This patient, incremental approach reflects the Warring States emphasis on long-term positioning through deception and indirect influence.”

From the Marxist view, these actions help resolve the ideological contradiction between China’s current strength and its long-term desire for unified territory.

“In this hybrid approach, the [Communist Party’s] duplicity is not a mere tactic but a calculated, theoretically grounded strategy,” he said.

“This synthesis has become a defining characteristic of modern Chinese statecraft, enabling the CCP to adapt dynamically to a complex world while advancing its power and preserving its rule.”