As the world’s largest, strongest and longest-surviving dictatorship, contemporary China lacks the rule of law. Yet it is increasingly using its rubber-stamp parliament to enact domestic legislation asserting territorial claims and rights in international law. In fact, China has become quite adept at waging “lawfare” — the misuse and abuse of law for political and strategic ends.
Under Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) bullying leadership, lawfare has developed into a critical component of China’s broader approach to asymmetrical or hybrid warfare. The blurring of the line between war and peace is enshrined in the regime’s official strategy as the “three warfares” (三戰) doctrine. Just as the pen can be mightier than the sword, so, too, can lawfare, psychological warfare and public-opinion warfare.
