Don’t be a useful idiot.

When I considered who had been controlling this country after the last war, the phrase “useful idiot” suddenly came to mind.

If you think that it’s OK if even an idiot can be helpful, then that is a hazardous way of thinking.

It is because the term “useful idiots” refers to people or groups that innocently believe they are doing what is best for the country but are being used by a particular political force.

During the Cold War, it was used as a political term to refer to pro-Soviet groups in Western countries.

Today, it refers to people and groups enthusiastic about friendly cooperation with China.

The trouble is that the power of useful idiots is not to be underestimated.

They may sometimes lead a country astray and put the lives and property of its citizens in danger.

A report was published in September this year warning of the need to be on the lookout for such ‘useful idiots.’

It was the ‘Chinese Influence Operations’ report by the French Army Research Center (IRSEM).

The key to this strategy is infiltration.

The method is to infiltrate the target group quietly and, without the target even realizing it, turn them into supporters of the Chinese Communist Party.

It is a technique favored by the former Soviet Communist Party and Russia.

Using the people they have won over, they prevent and eliminate the words and actions of those against the Party’s interests.

Dividing public opinion in a target country is also crucial in exerting influence.

The report analyzes the reality of propaganda using overseas Chinese and collaborators with the Chinese Communist Party in foreign countries, infiltration work in international organizations, and information manipulation on the Internet.

The command tower is the Party’s ‘United Front Work Department.’

It is said that the CCP is working to eliminate internal and external enemies and is waging a “political war” of public opinion, psychological warfare, and legal warfare against forces that challenge the authority of the Party, as well as working to destroy such forces and discredit them.

As mentioned at the beginning of this article, the CCP is keen on recruiting “useful idiots” to carry out these operations quietly.

In the political sphere, they use influential members of the ruling and opposition parties, retired politicians, and major media outlets.

In the economic sphere, they increased economic dependence on China and used embargoes, trade sanctions, and boycotts instigated by the public to bring many companies to their knees.

In the field of education, it is pointed out that Chinese students studying abroad are being used to monitor other international students, faculty, and university authorities.

They are also calling for the punishment of researchers who are critical of the Chinese Communist Party.

They are also stealing knowledge and advanced technology from other countries under the guise of joint research.

It is said that some researchers have unwittingly helped China, which is promoting the fusion of military and civilian technology, to develop weapons of mass destruction, advanced military technology, and surveillance technology to suppress the Chinese people.

Some people went to China believing they were engaging in pure research.

Still, from the perspective of the Chinese authorities, they are probably the typical useful idiots who were lured there with a big payoff.

The report also points out that China encourages independence movements in Okinawa and French New Caledonia.

It lists moves such as inviting independence activists to China and promoting academic exchange.

All of these are serious issues that affect national security.

The question now is whether we can remain useless clever people to an authoritarian country like China.