China Remains US’s ‘Unparalleled Priority’ Amid Beijing’s Increasing Aggression: DNI Haines

Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines testifies during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing concerning worldwide threats, on Capitol Hill March 8, 2023. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is the U.S. intelligence community’s “unparalleled priority” as the regime in Beijing draws increasing pushback over its aggression toward Taiwan and its relationship with Russia, Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Avril Haines told lawmakers on March 8.

“The CCP represents both the leading and most consequential threat to U.S. national security and leadership globally in its intelligence-specific ambitions and capabilities, making it for us our most serious and consequential intelligence rival,” she said at a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats, and as the U.S. intelligence community released the unclassified version of its annual threat assessment report (pdf).

Expansion at US Expense

Haines warned that China’s aggressiveness, particularly toward Taiwan and its Western allies, is accelerating as the communist regime seeks to maintain its ascendancy on the world stage.