China's Cyber Army: Preparing for the war in fifth domain
There is a saying about technology. "Technology, like art, is a soaring exercise of the human imagination." One of the best-suited examples would be the cyber domain. The headway this domain has made is parallel to none. China is one of the...
Information has become the bedrock of much of China's technological prowess. It has restructured its military to fight the informationized warfare of the 21st century, emphasising cyberwarfare. Rand Corporation defines cyber warfare as "Cyberwarfare involves the actions by a nation-state or international organization to attack and attempt to damage another nation's computers or information networks through, for example, computer viruses or denial-of-service attacks." China has set up a dedicated cyber army & its structure reflects its military doctrine. Furthermore, Chinese military doctrine has the imprints of its ideological leanings.
Ideological Imprints
China's journey of development & transmutation is around four decades old. Nevertheless, throughout the changes, what remained constant was the ideological penchant of the country. The survival of the party is at the heart of everything, and cyberspace is no exception. With the transformation of cyberspace, some made the mistake of believing that the seeds of democracy would ferment. However, as the party would have it, technological advancement in the cyber domain has become a monumental tool of propaganda for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The CCP views that State sovereignty and cyber sovereignty as indifferentiable. They perceive cyber as a turf wherein countering the ideological narratives from other countries, especially the West, threatening the party’s survival is imperative. CCP's primary objective is to control the narrative in the cyber realm, pivotal to national security and a means of exerting influence on the global stage. Despite the dynamic growth of the tech industry, companies have restricted space for manoeuvering. The evidence of control lies in the fact that virtually every company in China has the presence of a party man on the list of their employees. The ideological underpinnings are at the core of the use of cyber warfare by China.
Cyber Doctrine the guiding light
The root of Chinese cyber strategy lies in the US war in Kosovo, Iraq & Afghanistan, where the US displayed the masterpiece of its technologies. It made the Chinese start brainstorming about leveraging technology, especially information technology, to their advantage. In 1993, China came up with a military doctrine aimed at "winning local wars in the condition of modern technology, particularly high technology". One thing the Chinese can be credited with is their quest to adapt to changing conditions. In the wake of the second Iraq war, the Chinese changed their doctrine to "winning local wars under the conditions of informationization". The Chinese put great emphasis on information as a tool for warfighting. In 2013, the 'Academy of Military Science' came up with a study titled "The Science of Military Strategy". The study, for the first time, comprehensively took cognition of cyberwarfare. Subsequently, China remoulded their doctrine to "winning informationized local wars". They defined cyberspace as a "new pillar of economic & social development & a new domain of national security". China claims its development of cyber capabilities is in response to the increasing international competition in cyberspace & aimed at securing its critical infrastructure. The Chinese have aligned their military doctrine & cyber strategy to complement each other, which is in sync with the changing security environment & domestic situation. For the Chinese, cyberwarfare is a combination of psychological warfare, media warfare, and legal warfare. The Chinese aim to use technology and weaponise information to maintain social order within their boundaries. Adhering to their strategy of Active Defence, China is prioritising to advance its defensive capabilities. They believe it is prudent to have credible defence capabilities in the cyber domain to endure the first attack and respond to the offensive. China wishes to establish an international code of conduct vis-a-vis cyberspace. In this very context, China has come up with some basic principles as a guiding light. Some noteworthy ones are the 'principle of respect for rights & freedoms in cyberspace', the principles of balance, the peaceful use of cyberspace, and equitable development.
Force Structuring
Force orientation is one of the most significant parameters for judging the effectiveness of any military. The rapid military modernisation of the PLA with the aim of creating the first world-class military is underway. The cyber domain could not be an exception. Earlier, the Chinese Cyber Army had based its model on "Integrated Network Electronic Warfare" (INEW). Under INEW, the offensive arm was the 4th Department of the PLA General Staff Department, responsible for "computer network attack" and "electronic warfare". The defensive arm was the 3rd Department of the PLA General Staff Department, tasked with "computer network defence" and "intelligence gathering". Along with the above setup, the PLA also had special units for information warfare.
Nevertheless, the 2015 White Paper revised the Strategy as "winning informationized local wars". The paper also mentioned accelerating the development of the cyber force & bolstering "cyberspace situation awareness" & "cyber defence". In December 2015, China came up with a model for a strategic support force aimed at bringing synergy in the domains of cyber, space & electronic warfare. The SSF synthesised the 3rd Department PLA GSD & 4th Department PLA GSD. The Network Systems Department will serve as the headquarters for the cyber operations force. Apart from the military rejigging, there is a great emphasis on civil-military cooperation. The influential "Central Military-Civil Fusion Development Commission" led by President Xi is a significant example. An example of civil-military synergy is Qihoo 360 cooperating with the cyberspace security military-civil fusion innovation centre to enhance national cyber defences. President Xi referred to the PLA Strategic Support Force as a "new-type combat force to maintain national security".
Espionage & Cyber Attack Activities
China has a history of cyber espionage & cyber-attacks, i.e. operationalizing its cyberwarfare apparatus. The development of Chinese cyber capabilities has created a sense of threat to other nations. China has also not made a secret of its desire to use its potential. China has come up with special cyber attack units for cyber warfare. One of the most famous is Unit 61938. This unit is considered one of the most proficient & comprises people from diverse fields, such as the IT sector, electronic engineers, linguists & mathematicians. Apart from the official cadre, China also employs cyber militia groups.
A Canadian research team produced a study in 2009 regarding the GhostNet cyber espionage, which targeted over 1300 sites, including the German, Indian, and Portuguese embassies throughout the world, as well as the Tibetan government in exile in Dharamshala. The links of the attack are connected to China. China has also targeted private companies and has been alleged to have stolen critical projects and other related pieces of information. China has also efficiently used its cyber capabilities to fulfill its political ambitions in other countries. In the latest, Chinese hackers, with the support of their government, targeted the Australian government and businesses. In October of 2020, the city of Mumbai came to a grinding halt. Thanks to the tripping of the Padgha-Kalwa transmission line. There has been speculation about the Chinese hand behind this incident.
Conclusion
Chinese cyber prowess has travelled a distance. To add to that, the Chinese willingness to use those technologies accentuates their belief in winning over the opponent without fighting. China's ranking in the National Cyber Power Index & Cyber Capability Index is second only to the United States. China wants to build robust cyber defence capabilities as it is a fisher and a target. China talks about respecting cyber sovereignty & operating in a rule-based cyber domain, but it hardly walks the talk. The advancement of Chinese cyber domain expertise has raised alarm bells across the globe. The Chinese cyber army hardly differentiates between peacetime and wartime.
References
2. https://idsa.in/system/files/jds_5_2_dsharma.pdf
3. https://international-review.icrc.org/sites/default/files/irrc-886-zhang.pdf
5. https://chanakyaforum.com/india-china-cyber-asymmetry-act-now/
6. https://inc42.com/features/the-anatomy-of-cyberwarfare-is-india-ready-to-take-on-china/
7. https://www.economist.com/analects/2013/02/19/hello-unit-61398
8. http://www.indiandefencereview.com/news/chinas-cyber-warfare-capabilities/
?Pic Courtesy-Shahadat Rahman at unsplash.com
(The views expressed are those of the author and do not represent views of CESCUBE.)
Aditya Kumar Singh is pursuing masters in International Relations from the School of International Studies, JNU. His interest area includes Indo-Pacific, West Asia(Israel), Nuclear diplomacy and India's security challenges. He is research intern with CESCUBE.
