The NSA/CIA need to start making systems more secure by default and stop thinking spying on their own populations is a top priority.
The NSA and CIA are neither able nor authorized to defend all privately-owned critical infrastructure. While concerns about agency oversight are warranted, I can assure you that spying on the population is not their top priority. It's abundantly clear that foreign threats aren't confined to their own geographies and networks. That can't be addressed without having the capability to look inward.
Secure by Design is an initiative led by CISA, which frequently shares guidance and threat reporting from the NSA and their partners. Unfortunately, they also can't unilaterally secure the private sector overnight.
These are difficult problems. Critical infrastructure owners and operators need to rise to the challenge we face.
The digital has been running for quite a while, and there won't be a real one. China has nothing to gain from starting one. I mean seriously...why would you shoot your customer?
It depends on your goal. If it is strictly a commercial relationship, “shooting your customer” could be advantageous for preserving a revenue stream. Customer lock-in Could be seen as a form of “shooting your customer"
If your goal is political, "shooting your customer" may enable a regime change that is friendlier to you. We have done this multiple times in the Middle East, Central America, and South America.
The US has done what it has done in the regions you list because they're already unstable (particularly the Middle East) and have no way of striking decisive blows against US territory.