School of War Ep 237: Toshi Yoshihara on China’s Subversive Strategies
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Oct 7, 2025 Toshi Yoshihara, a Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments and expert on Chinese military strategy, dives deep into the subversive tactics employed by the PLA. He discusses the 'Peaceful Liberation' of Beijing and unpacks how years of tactical infiltration could mirror strategies for Taiwan today. Yoshihara reveals the 'dark arts' of manipulation that date back to the 1920s and warns about the vulnerabilities within Taiwan's military that could be exploited. His insights shed light on how coercion and subversion complicate U.S. policy responses.
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Pingjin Campaign Shaped Victory
- The fall of Beijing was part of the Pingjin campaign and one of the PLA's three decisive campaigns.
- Those campaigns gave the communists control of North China and paved the way to seize the mainland.
Long Game Of Infiltration
- CCP subversion often began years or decades before activation through infiltration and relationship-building.
- The united front strategy aimed to 'eat the nationalist partner from the inside out.'
Fifth Column Inside Beijing
- Communist agents inside Beijing included thousands of sympathizers and double agents working to destabilize the garrison.
- General Fu surrendered intact Beijing and 250,000 troops after that internal subversion campaign.
