Just had a thought… what if the DS is planning to have China "kidnap" a senior US official and hold them hostage as part of the trade talk negotiations? Using their own as bait to force the US to bend to China's wishes on trade.
Would create a national narrative and they could attempt to force POTUS to relent on the tariffs in exchange for the DS asset's safe return (except the normies wouldn't know the official is in on it and part of the DS).
i.e. Feinstein.