Findlay went on to explain that China has “game planned” strategies  to circumvent traditional military red lines to avoid direct conflict,  and so is utilizing more subtle and unconventional forms of attack.

“They know that western democracies have peace, and then, when they  cross a line, we get really angry. Then we start bombing people,” said  General Findlay, according to the sources.

“China said, ‘let’s be smarter. Let’s just play below the threshold, before it goes to war. Let’s achieve things strategically without having war. So, now we have a new dimension.’” China’s use of political warfare is having a confounding effect on the West, which is more accustomed to direct “kinetic” warfare.

China is moving behind-the-scenes toward establishing a major naval port on the west coast of Africa that would host Chinese submarines and aircraft carriers capable of projecting Beijing‘s military power directly into the Atlantic, a top U.S. military official warned on Thursday.

The top commander for U.S. military operations in Africa said Chinese officials have been approaching countries stretching from Mauritania to south of Namibia in search of where to position the naval facility.

“They’re looking for a place where they can rearm and repair warships. That becomes militarily useful in conflict,” U.S. Gen. Stephen Townsend said in an interview with The Associated Press.