I am concerned that there is too much aversion to 'dirty' tactics, leading to a handicap when a response in kind is appropriate. They don't need to be used as a norm, but from time to time a strong demonstration is needed to show that you can't and won't get away with playing these sorts of games. Kind of like the straight A student upper cutting and dropping the school bully when they've really crossed the line.
This will put some fear in potential trouble maker countries, and reduce the likelihood of them being hired to disturb the neighbourhood.
Kind of agree with what you are saying, but we should look at it from another angle too.
A real world example of the execution of Chinese strategy, I realized, just happened this past week.
That new guy for as Taiwan leader the PRC does not like. After he takes office, three things happened.
1. Taiwan was blockaded for 2 days, surrounded. That is a military problem.
2. Taiwan had mainland China slap some economic sanctions on it. That is a economic problem.
3. The KMT passed legislation for more oversight on the government, and the DPP reacted poorly to this initiative. That is a political problem.
So, in the very first week of assuming the leadership position, Lai has a military problem, an economic problem, and a political problem.
If Lai is the opponent, and he does seem like a weak leader, well, these developments make the opponent even weaker.
How does giving your opponent a military problem, an economic problem, and Chinese nationalist providing the political problem, make the weak leader stronger? It does not. It makes Lai weaker.
That is pretty good strategy I feel. No cheap antics was needed. Cheap antics could be included, but if someone in the room says, "Why bother with that," there is really no good retort or justification for a cheap antic in this case to be directed at Lai.
So a lot of times, it appears that the Chinese are doing nothing.
But looking at the totality of the situation, and the subtleties of these moves, then it seems a little different.
Put ourselves in Lai's shoes. If we have a military problem, an economic problem, and a political problem, what exactly are we going to do?
Suppose Lai wants to push independence, but ignores the military problem, the economy problem, the political problem, then he probably will seem like a one issue politicians, just bent on one issue, Taiwan Independence, which is not completely supported by the Taiwan population.
Seem like the PRC and friends giving Lai these three problems all at once in the first week of his term, will limit his actions towards independence because seem likes others have set the agenda for him.
As we can see, how does the cheap shot fits into this strategy being executed right before us? Right, the cheap shot does not really fit in, so that is probably why the PRC rarely uses that.
