US Intelligence Chiefs: "2000 Investigations Related to China... Unparalleled Priority"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo Yoo-jin] Heads of U.S. intelligence agencies unanimously identified China as the greatest threat to the United States and an unparalleled priority. While warning that China is challenging the U.S. in various fields by establishing new international norms and expanding its influence over neighboring countries, they also predicted that China’s regional issues, such as national debt and tensions with ethnic minorities, would weaken these efforts.

Avril Haines, Director of National Intelligence (Photo by CNN)

U.S. intelligence chiefs testified publicly on the 14th (local time) at a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing based on the “Annual Threat Assessment of U.S. Intelligence” report released the previous day.

At the hearing held under the theme of “Global Threats,” Avril Haines, Director of National Intelligence (DNI), said, “China is taking a comprehensive approach to demonstrate its growing power and compel neighboring countries to accept it.”

She assessed China as “an increasingly peer competitor” and emphasized that China is an “unparalleled priority.” Director Haines stressed, “No country poses a more serious threat to our innovation, economic security, and democratic ideals than China.”

Christopher Wray, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) (Photo by The Hill)

Christopher Wray, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), also identified China as the most serious threat facing the United States. He stated that the FBI is currently conducting 2,000 investigations related to the Chinese government and opens a new China-related investigation approximately every 10 hours. He added that China’s economic espionage activities have increased by 1,300% in recent years.

Regarding questions about hacking by China and Russia and the threat of misinformation spread through social media, he expressed concern that “social media has become a key amplifier of domestic violent extremism and foreign malign influence.”

William Burns, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), said that nearly one-third of CIA personnel are focused on cyber issues, reflecting the importance of cyber threats. He also cited China’s technological ambitions centered on Shenzhen-based Huawei, including 5G, space technology, artificial intelligence, supercomputers, semiconductors, and materials engineering, as risk factors in the competition for technological superiority.

William Burns, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) (Photo by AP)

Experts analyzed that this approach by U.S. intelligence agencies sharply contrasts with that of the previous Donald Trump administration.

Jeffrey Moon, a former member of the White House National Security Council, said, “It is interesting that U.S. intelligence agencies are speaking with one voice. During the last administration, for four years, former President Trump wanted to pursue his own agenda, so the intelligence agencies probably knew the president was not on their side.”

He added that President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan by September 11 suggests a shift of more resources, brains, and capabilities toward China-related policies, according to SCMP.

On the other hand, China’s weaknesses were identified as competitive disadvantages seen in its overseas dependence on technologies such as semiconductor chips and concerns over the safety of the Sinovac vaccine. Population aging, increasing national debt, and tensions with ethnic minorities were also pointed out as factors that could constrain China’s growth.

Director Haines said, “Economic, environmental, and demographic vulnerabilities will make it difficult for China to transition to a dominant role over the coming decades.”

Earlier, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) released a 27-page “Annual Threat Assessment of U.S. Intelligence” report, which compiled analyses and views from 18 intelligence agencies, naming China as the top threat. Russia, Iran, and North Korea followed.