Almost no Asian nation wants to pick sides in an extended tussle between China and the U.S. Yet as China's sway rises, whether they want to choose or not, they must begin to cope -- and that means finding ways to respond to China's use of so-called influence operations to pull domestic opinion in Beijing's direction. These will again come to the forefront in 2020 as several nations stage elections.
Australia has lately been at the forefront of worries over covert operations, accusing China of using pro-Beijing front organizations to mobilize support among the country's 1.2 million citizens with Chinese ancestry.
