Since coming to power, Xi—with the support of Zhang and other leaders—attempted to expand Chinese power and weaken the United States and its international partners through a range of irregular activities: building islands through clandestine means, waging cyber espionage that targeted most Americans, coercing countries using transnational projects like the Belt and Road Initiative, expanding information and intelligence collection through China’s Digital Silk Road and Huawei, and co-opting US scholars and students through programs like the Thousand Talents Plan.
