Blood Money introduces the theme of covert manipulation and disinformation campaigns as a primary tactic employed by China in its “unrestricted warfare” against the US. Peter Schweizer presents China as leveraging non-traditional methods—cyberattacks, propaganda, drug trafficking, and social media platforms like TikTok—to undermine America’s societal, economic, and political systems. However, an examination of these claims reveals that Schweizer builds his argument on exaggerated rhetoric, speculative connections, and selective use of evidence, contributing to a disinformation campaign that promotes fear and mistrust in American institutions.

Schweizer’s core narrative rests on the concept of “unrestricted warfare,” which he draws from ancient Chinese strategist Sun Tzu’s philosophy of defeating the enemy without traditional military confrontation:

This ancient concept remains central to modern China’s approach to war. Sun Tzu’s words guide the minds of today’s Chinese leaders. Since 2006, every officer, soldier, and sailor has been required to study Sun Tzu’s book The Art of War as a textbook. In keeping with this approach, China’s official military strategy focuses on—in the Chinese leaders’ words—going after the United States’ ‘soft underbelly’ in terms of politics, economics, and the spirit and psychology of [its] people (xii).