Berliner Tageblatt - China poses biggest military threat to US: intel report

Beijing's "coercive pressure" against Taiwan and "wide-ranging cyber operations against US targets" were indicators of its growing threat to US national security, said the Annual Threat Assessment by the intelligence community.

"China presents the most comprehensive and robust military threat to US national security," the report said.

The report provides an overview of the collective insights of top US intelligence agencies about the security threats to the US posed by foreign nations and criminal organizations.

It warned that Beijing would keep expanding its "coercive and subversive malign influence activities" to weaken the US internally and globally.

And the Chinese government would seek to counter what it sees as a "US-led campaign to tarnish Beijing's global relations and overthrow" the Chinese Communist Party, the report said.

Beijing's military is gearing up to challenge US operations in the Pacific and "making steady but uneven progress on capabilities it would use in an attempt to seize Taiwan," it assessed.

But, it said, the Chinese leadership would seek to reduce tensions with the United States as it seeks to "protects its core interests, and buy time to strengthen its position."

China was more "cautious" than Russia, Iran and North Korea -- other key US adversaries -- about appearing "too aggressive and disruptive."

And it said that the autocratic style of President Xi Jinping -- China's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong -- was affecting its ability to respond to challenges.

"Xi's focus on security and stability... and securing other leaders' personal loyalty to him is undermining China's ability to solve complex domestic problems and will impede Beijing's global leverage," the report found.

Beijing called the report "biased" and accused it of "exaggerating the China threat" on Wednesday.

"The US publishes these kinds of irresponsible and biased reports year after year," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a regular press briefing.

"We have no intention of surpassing anyone or replacing anyone", he said.

US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told a Senate hearing Tuesday that "China is our most capable strategic competitor" based on current intelligence.

In addition to China, the assessment analyzed threats to the United States posed by Russia, North Korea, Iran and "non-state transnational criminals," including Mexican drug cartels and Islamic extremist groups.

M.Odermatt--BTB