China likely fields the largest and most powerful military industrial complex in the world, or at least one of the largest. It makes sense to use China as a yardstick against which to measure the value of potential military expenditure.
I'm sure that when China does the same, they're not imagining the cost of war against, say, Australia or Mexico. they invoke the bogeyman of American military hegemony.
Everyone knows that most H1-B visas are used up by Indian firms for Indian nationals. Not by American firms for international talent. All the politicians have known about this abuse for years but this part of US foreign policy and lobby group efforts. India is a considered a natural ally against China and the Muslims.
He's no different from the other Wall Street thugs. Though he being an outsider may stand out more and make an easier target for NYT compared to his other colleagues.
Mainstream media with its uncorroborated sources, strategic, timed, unsubstantiated and anonymous "leaks", often serving the interests of lobby groups policy makers, think tanks and intelligence agencies is hard to be believed. Even if the writer as good at the art of writing.
https://qz.com/640394/a-chinese-mosquito-factory-releases-20...