China Increasingly a Near-peer Competitor, Posing Multiple Challenges: Top US Intel Officer

China Increasingly a Near-peer Competitor, Posing Multiple Challenges: Top US Intel Officer

       Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines on Wednesday briefed members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on the worldwide threat assessment of the US.

      "China increasingly is a near-peer competitor, challenging the United States in multiple areas while pushing to revise global norms in ways that favour the authoritarian Chinese system," Haines said.

    China, she said, is employing a comprehensive approach to demonstrate its growing strength and compel regional neighbours to acquiesce to Beijing's preferences, including its claims over disputed territory and assertions of sovereignty over Taiwan.

       “It also has substantial cyber capabilities that, if deployed at a minimum, can cause localised temporary disruptions to critical infrastructure inside the United States,” Haines said.

(Source: Hindustan Times)