Invisible Front: How China Targets the West Through Political, Military, and Economic Espionage
- Jeremy Walters
- 6 days ago
- 1 min read
China’s intelligence activity in the West no longer resembles the old world of secret agents and midnight handovers.
Today, it’s something far broader — a blend of political access-building, cyber penetration, strategic business deals, and online influence campaigns that often look harmless until you zoom out. What makes it so effective is precisely what makes it so difficult to counter: each piece appears ordinary, even deniable, yet together they form a strategic effort to shape how Western societies think, operate, and prepare for future conflict.
In this episode of the Battleplan Podcast, we explore how Chinese influence reaches from parliamentary offices in London to port infrastructure in the United States, from missile research in Ukraine to social-media manipulation across Europe. These stories show a pattern that is subtle, sophisticated, and designed to stay in the shadows. By the time a case is exposed, the official response is always the same: it wasn’t us.
If you want to understand how modern espionage really works — not as a movie script, but as a network of political, economic, military, and digital pressures woven into everyday life — this episode offers a clear, accessible guide. It’s a story about power in the 21st century, where influence is quiet, denials are loud, and the most important battles happen long before shots are fired.
Listen now to uncover the invisible front shaping Western security.
Below is a worksheet, answerkey and script for the podcast available as pdfs.
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