To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.
Sun Tzu, The Art of War (Giles trans.)

In his must-read book The Hundred-Year Marathon, Michael Pillsbury describes China’s “Assassin’s Mace” weapons strategy as strategic systems designed to neutralize superior adversaries, particularly the United States. Assassin’s Mace weapons are asymmetric, cost-effective, and intended to exploit specific vulnerabilities in order to deliver a knockout blow.

Key characteristics include:

• Asymmetry: Undermines U.S. advantages without matching its power.
• Concealment: Many programs are secretive and deceptive.
• Psychological Disruption: Designed to shock and paralyze response.
• Preemptive Advantage: Intended to disable key systems early in a conflict.

Examples Pillsbury cites include anti-satellite weapons, cyberwarfare tools, EMPs, anti-ship ballistic missiles, and hypersonic glide vehicles.

It must also be said that the PRC has long had a doctrine of “military-civil fusion.” Military-Civil Fusion (MCF) doctrine is a national strategy aimed at integrating civilian industries, research institutions, and private enterprises with military development to enhance the capabilities of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The policy seeks to eliminate barriers between China’s civilian and military sectors, ensuring that technological advancements in areas like artificial intelligence (of which Bytedance is one of the top 5 AI developers in China), quantum computing, aerospace, and biotechnology serve both economic and defense purposes.

Key aspects of MCF include:

• Technology Acquisition – The Chinese government encourages the transfer of cutting-edge civilian technologies to military applications, often through state-backed research programs and corporate partnerships.
• Institutional Integration – The Central Military-Civil Fusion Development Committee, chaired by Xi Jinping, oversees the strategy to ensure seamless coordination between civilian and military entities.
• Global Concerns – The U.S. and other nations view MCF as a security risk, citing concerns over intellectual property theft and the potential for civilian technologies to be repurposed for military dominance.

MCF is a cornerstone of China’s long-term military modernization, with the goal of developing a world-class military by 2049. If you’re familiar with China’s National Intelligence Law mandating cooperation by the civilian sector with the Ministry of State Security, this should all sound pretty familiar vis a vis TikTok.

Comparison to TikTok’s Data Mining and AI Algorithms

While not traditional kinetic weapons, TikTok’s AI and data collection tactics mirror many elements of an Assassin’s Mace—particularly in the information and psychological warfare domains.

Comparison:

Feature	Assassin’s Mace (Military)	TikTok Data/A.I. (Civil-Info)
Asymmetric	Targets U.S. military dependence on tech	Targets U.S. cultural and cognitive weaknesses
Concealed capabilities	Hidden programs in cyberwarfare or space	Opaque algorithms and data harvesting
Psychological effect	Shock and morale disruption	Behavioral influence and identity shaping
Preemptive edge	Deployed early in conflict	Influences before conflict or overt tension
Cost/Attribution	Cheap and hard to detect	Social media disguise, plausible deniability
Dependency creation	Reduces U.S. tech autonomy	Entrenches digital reliance on foreign platform

Strategic Parallels, MCF and National Security Implications

• Informational Warfare: TikTok’s algorithmic controls may shape narratives aligned with CCP objectives.
• Data as Weaponized Intel: TikTok collects biometric and behavioral data potentially usable for state profiling or surveillance.
• AI as Force Multiplier: Data harvested fuels China’s military-linked AI development.
• Cultural Erosion: Gradual influence can diminish U.S. civic cohesion and resilience.

Surrender Videos and CCP Use of Video as Psychological Operations (PsyOps)

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has increasingly leveraged video platforms—including domestic networks like WeChat and global platforms like TikTok—for strategic psychological operations aimed at foreign populations. These campaigns serve to erode morale, stir political divisions, and promote favorable perceptions of the Chinese regime.

A notable example includes the circulation of staged or coerced “surrender videos” purportedly featuring Taiwanese soldiers or civilians pledging allegiance to Beijing. Such footage is designed to sap resistance and cultivate an image of inevitable Chinese dominance over Taiwan, particularly in the event of an invasion or political crisis.

Another instance occurred on TikTok, where a Chinese user posted a video in fluent English urging Americans to support China and reject then-President Trump’s trade and tariff policies. I’m not a huge fan of the tariffs, but I found this video to be very suspicious.

The video called for solidarity with China and implied that U.S. opposition to Chinese economic expansion was both unjust and self-destructive. Though framed as personal opinion, such content aligns with Chinese state interests and is amplified by algorithms that may favor politically charged engagement. These efforts form part of a broader information warfare strategy wherein short-form video is used not only to manipulate algorithms and audience emotions but to subtly shift public opinion in democracies. By flooding feeds with curated messages, the CCP could exploit free speech protections in adversary nations to inject authoritarian narratives under the guise of popular expression

TikTok Could be a Combination Punch to Win Without Fighting

TikTok’s AI algorithms and extensive data collection constitute a modern parallel to China’s Assassin’s Mace strategy. Instead of missiles or EMPs, Beijing may be relying on AI-powered cognitive and cultural influence to erode Western resilience over time. This information-first strategy aligns with Pillsbury’s warning that America’s adversaries may seek to win without fighting a conventional war by use of strategic weapons like the Assassin’s Mace. As Master Sun said, win without fighting.