You can’t make this up. It might seem far-fetched that China could ever control the U.S. air traffic control (ATC) system, but privatization could open the door to serious risks. Through legal means, China could gain influence by investing in private operators, supplying critical technology, or financially backing companies in need. Our open market system, as it stands, practically invites such opportunities. As long as these laws remain unchanged, China will continue to tighten its grip on critical U.S. infrastructure. When those laws finally do tighten, the economic ties that currently act as a deterrent to conflict could break, leaving nothing to stop the slide toward real confrontation.
But maybe it’s already too late. For years, loopholes have been ignored, and warnings have gone unheeded. Security agencies like CFIUS (Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States), DHS (Department of Homeland Security), FBI, DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency), and NSA (National Security Agency), alongside think tanks like the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Hudson Institute, Heritage Foundation, and Brookings Institution, have been raising the alarm. Now the question isn’t if damage has been done but how much control we’ve already lost—and whether there’s still time to reclaim it.