Hybrid security threats from the People’s Republic of China to the Republic of Estonia
As recently as a decade ago, receiving investments and technologies from the People’s Republic of China was not seen as something bad in Estonia.
One may even say that it was encouraged. By today, the picture has changed dramatically, and security theorists, scientists, politicians and media people are all talking about the dangers relating to accepting investments and technologies. Over the decades, China has managed to lull other global great powers to sleep under the auspices of its “peaceful rise”, and has quietly become a serious competitor to the US. However, under its current leader Xi Jinping, China has not attempted to hide its global ambitions in any way – it has clearly stated that it wants to take the leading role in the world. To achieve this, China must first break the current US-led security architecture, for which all available tools and tactics are used, such as brute force, hybrid warfare and interference in the politics of other countries through investments and supplying of technologies. The purpose of this article is to shed light on the specific threats that Chinese investments and technologies may bring to Estonia.