China poses 'most comprehensive and robust military threat' to national security: US intel report

China presents the most comprehensive and robust military threat to the national security of the United States, a US intelligence report revealed on Tuesday.

The report spotlighted that China poses an active and persistent cyber threat to the US government, private sector, and critical infrastructure networks with Beijing's nuclear weapons and advanced delivery systems - capable of delivering catastrophic damage - posing a direct threat to the US and threatening its military forces at home and abroad.

The Annual Threat Assessment done by the intelligence authority cites that a major portion of China's military modernisation efforts is focused on developing counter-intervention capabilities tailored against all aspects of US and allied military operations in the Pacific.

"President Xi Jinping and the People's Republic of China (PRC) want to achieve 'the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation' by 2049. The PRC will seek to increase its power and influence to shape world events to create an environment favorable to PRC interests, obtain greater US deference to China's interests, and fend off challenges to its reputation, legitimacy, and capabilities at home and abroad," the report highlights.

It mentions that China has developed a range of ballistic and cruise missiles with conventional payloads that can be delivered from its mainland as well as by air and sea, including by nuclear-powered submarines.

"It may also be exploring the development of conventionally-armed intercontinental range missile systems, which, if developed and fielded, would allow China to threaten conventional strikes against targets in the continental United States," the report states.

The annual report of worldwide threats to the national security of the United States reflects the collective insights of the Intelligence Community (IC), which is committed to providing the nuanced, independent, and unvarnished intelligence that policymakers, warfighters, and domestic law enforcement personnel need to protect American lives and America’s interests anywhere in the world.

The assessment focuses on the most direct, serious threats to the United States primarily during the next year. All these threats require a robust intelligence response, including those where a near-term focus may help head off greater threats in the future.

It warned that China is using complex, whole-of-government campaigns featuring coercive military, economic, and influence operations short of war to assert its positions and strength against others, reserving more destructive tools for full- scale conflict.

The report mentions that if Beijing believed that a major conflict with Washington was imminent, it could consider aggressive cyber operations against US critical infrastructure and military assets. Such strikes, it said, would be designed to deter US military action by impeding decision-making, inducing societal panic, and interfering with the deployment of US forces.

Emphasising that China almost certainly has a multifaceted, national-level strategy designed to displace the United States as the world’s most influential AI power by 2030, the report further stated that China has stolen hundreds of gigabytes of intellectual property from companies in Asia, Europe, and North America.

It was done to leapfrog over technological hurdles, with as much as 80 per cent of US economic espionage cases as of 2021 involving Chinese entities, the report reveals.

"Beijing is likely to feel emboldened to use malign influence more regularly in the coming years, particularly as it fields AI to improve its capabilities and avoid detection," the report mentions.

Cautioning on Chinese expansion of nuclear posture, the report stated that China most likely possesses capabilities relevant to Chemical and Biological Warfare (CBW) that pose a threat to US, allied, and partner forces as well as the civilian population.