This is CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor. Here's John Batchelor.

I welcome. Brandon Wykert, his new book is biohacked. Chan has race to control life. Yes, this is about COVID-19.

Yes, this is about theft. Yes, this is about a contest between the United States of America and the People's Republic of China. It is also about

the falling down of many esteemed individuals in our culture and European culture and Chinese culture, because the intention

of China moves from curiosity to warfare. Brandon, a very good evening to you. Thank you very much.

At the beginning of your book, you have a metaphor which I like a great deal. It's a way of

explaining how the People's Republic of China's Chinese Communist Party

believed they would win the contest with the United States,

though they start from well behind after the century of humiliation.

It's called the Field of Dreams Theory.

What does that mean? How were they thinking in Beijing when they came up with that? Good evening. Well, it's a good evening, John, and thank you for having me. That's a great question because you think of the field of dreams. We think of a very American idea, but in fact, China's government spent years learning at our feet how to become a superpower and trying to emulate it and be better even than we are at being Americans when it comes to tech innovation and dominance.

And so the field of dreams mentality is exactly what it sounds like. If you build it, they will come.

That was the famous line in the movie. And that's precisely what happened in the movie.

They built the baseball field, and everybody came to watch the game and participate.

And similarly, China applies that mentality to the high-tech sector.

If they don't have the indigenous talent to do these new technological innovations, in this case, with the book, we're talking biotechnology, they will build the world's most advanced, comprehensive innovation ecosystem.

And then they will attract Western investors and Western innovators and creative types to put their talents

into those Chinese innovation hubs rather than American or Western ones. And that is precisely

what's happening. This is not limited then to biology. It applies to all fields from rock

to all fields to biology to I applies to all fields from rocketry to biology to, I would guess, warfare. Everything

can be arranged if the talent comes to China. Now, that doesn't necessarily sound like it's a

malign intent. Do we have an understanding? Was it malign from the first or were they playing catch-up and nobody was in charge?

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