China's President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Dec. 7. (Fred Dufour/Associated Press)

Josh Rogin's Dec. 11 op-ed, "A new stealth threat from China," should be a wake-up call to every country — not just the United States. I've lectured officials from all over China and the world on corruption and rule-of-law issues for more than 20 years. Until recently, some appeared to at least be listening to a growing democratic global drumbeat.

However, my most recent lecture to the Chinese was startling. It became clear, early on, that these officials were mainly interested in learning how to influence congressional staff and university students without getting into legal trouble. As Mr. Rogin rightly noted, this is unfortunately all too easy within our legal framework.

While Russia poses similar threats, as we are quickly learning, we must keep another eye focused on an even more dangerous, shrouded and globally influential sophisticated threat. Is anyone in Congress or the Trump administration awake?

Keith Henderson, Washington

The writer is a former senior rule of law and anti-corruption adviser at USAID and an adjunct professor at American University’s Washington College of Law.

It's extremely troubling that "A new stealth threat from China" magnifies China's influence in the United States. It's equally troubling that the Trump administration is ceding the field to China in the energy sector. This administration has embraced the fossil fuel industry at every turn. It has turned away from the renewable energy sources that would prevent the environmental and health effects of mining and drilling, improve national security, and mitigate the climate change contributing to intense hurricanes, floods and fires. Meanwhile, China surges ahead in development of renewable technologies, spurning coal to build vast solar and wind farms, and it has become the world's leading exporter of solar and wind technologies.

It pains me to watch the United States pass up economic growth and jobs as China surpasses us and gains economic power in the world. Instead of doubling down on the dirty, dangerous and finite energy sources of the past, the United States should move toward renewables. The best way to accomplish that quickly is a market-based solution that prices carbon and puts money in the pockets of U.S. citizens so we can use the free markets China lacks to boost renewables, create jobs and compete with China.

Sally Kelly, Chevy Chase