Russia and China are Using Triads and the Bratva to Undermine U.S. National Security
Peter Roberto
In the looming great power competition between the United States and China, alongside the ever-present aggression of Russia, one might believe that public officials taking bribes from transnational criminal organizations such as the Italian, Chinese or Russian mob is an insignificant issue to U.S. national security. However, there are tangible ties between the intelligence services of U.S. adversaries and transnational criminal organizations that give the policymakers of our adversaries an advantage when making decisions.
In order to combat this threat, our intelligence community must establish an interagency task force to investigate public officials who collaborate with transnational criminal organizations from adversarial states. The U.S. State Department must work with its counterparts and security partners to create a multinational effort aimed at reducing corruption tied to adversarial states.
Alarmingly, China has begun to display how effective this strategy can be when applied to a long-term U.S. ally as a means of enhancing its own security infrastructure. China leveraged this relationship during the 2019 Hong Kong pro-democracy protests, where the 14K and Wo Shing Wo triads assisted law enforcement entities in quelling the protests. In other words, Beijing used triads to beat up protestors on trains. However, while suppressing protests is an incredibly disturbing move, it is more concerning that China is using this unholy alliance to undermine the governance of a strategic U.S. ally, namely the Philippines.
Since the election of President Rodrigo Duterte, who is now facing a probe from the International Criminal Court over his brutal drug war, the Philippines has experienced warmer relations with China that stem from an illicit relationship with Chinese drug traffickers. Former law enforcement official Eduardo Acierto alleged that Michael Yang, a Chinese businessman and former economic advisor to Duterte, was connected to Chinese drug traffickers. Yang’s appointment was notable since it skirted the bidding process prescribed to foreigners who work as advisors in the Philippine government. Acierto blew the whistle and alleged that Duterte ignored intelligence reports which hinted at this relationship.
Continued at INTERNATIONAL POLICY DIGEST