Cia Director Says China Is #1 Priority, Poses Biggest Challenge From Adversary In Us History

CIA Director John Ratcliffe declared successful an soul memo that China is nan apical privilege for his agency, informing that "no adversary successful nan history of our Nation has presented a much formidable situation aliases a much tin strategical competitor than nan Chinese Communist Party." 

The soul CIA memo directed to nan agency’s rank and record was provided to Fox News by a elder CIA charismatic connected Thursday.  

"For CIA to proceed successfully defending our Nation, we will build upon our beardown instauration and prosecute pinch laser-like attraction nan near-term priorities for CIA that our President and our state demand. China sits astatine nan very apical of that list," Ratcliffe wrote. 

"No adversary successful nan history of our Nation has presented a much formidable situation aliases a much tin strategical competitor than nan Chinese Communist Party," he continued. "It is intent connected dominating nan world economically, militarily, and technologically, and it is aggressively trying to out-compete America successful each area of nan globe." 

UNITED KINGDOM URGED TO ALIGN WITH TRUMP ON CHINA OR LOSE FAVORED STATUS IN WASHINGTON 

Chinese President Xi Jinping listens arsenic Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, not pictured, speaks during their gathering astatine nan Office of nan Party Central Committee successful Hanoi, Vietnam, connected Monday, April 14. (AP/Minh Hoang)

Ratcliffe said nan CIA must proceed to respond to nan threats China poses "with urgency, creativity, and grit." 

"I’ve emboldened CIA’s activity squad to return connected much risks, smartly, and to aggressively activity retired short- and semipermanent opportunities that springiness nan United States nan advantage it needs to support China successful our rear-view window. It won’t beryllium easy, but I promise to lead nan complaint successful helping america do conscionable that," he added. 

CHINA RAMPS UP MILITARY ‘REHEARSALS’ AROUND TAIWAN, OUTSTRIPS US IN AIR, MARITIME, SPACE 

Vice President JD Vance, left, swears successful recently confirmed CIA Director John Ratcliffe while his wife, Michele Ratcliffe looks connected during a ceremonial successful nan Eisenhower Executive Office Building astatine nan White House connected Jan. 23. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images))

Ratcliffe said, "Technology is different apical priority; 1 that is successful galore ways intertwined pinch nan threat posed by nan CCP.  

"Emerging technologies for illustration artificial intelligence and quantum computing will specify nan early of nationalist information and geopolitical power," he wrote successful nan memo. 

An battle conveyance portion carries retired a occurrence onslaught during existent combat training successful Ningbo, China, connected Jan. 10. (Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

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"Concurrently, our adversaries – China, Russia, and Iran – activity to summation footholds successful countries successful our near-abroad. We must proceed to push backmost against these efforts," Ratcliffe besides said. "To champion position CIA successful addressing this priority, we are taking a adjacent look astatine really we tin create a unified effort crossed nan scope of argumentation objectives successful this region. The American group merit our best."