Notwithstanding international worries about the invasion of Ukraine, China will continue to work with Russia to threaten the United States, US intelligence agencies warned on Wednesday.

China will continue to use its military and other assets to intimidate opponents in the South China Sea. According to the research, it will build on its activities from 2022, which might involve further Taiwan Strait crossings or missile overflights of Taiwan.

US Intelligence Talks About National Security Threats

The People's Republic of China, which is rapidly confronting the United States economically, technologically, politically, and militarily, is "our top concern," according to Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, President Joe Biden's chief intelligence adviser.

To achieve Chinese leader Xi Jinping's goal of establishing China as a great international power, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) "is increasingly persuaded that it must do so at the expense of US strength and influence," Haines stated in her opening remarks.

According to the report, Russia probably does not seek conflict with the United States and NATO. However, the war in Ukraine carries a "great risk" of that occurring. There is "real potential" for Russia's military failures in Ukraine to harm Vladimir Putin's domestic standing, increasing the likelihood of escalation.

Reuters reported that Haines called it "a grinding, attritional conflict" in Ukraine and stated that US intelligence does not anticipate significant territory advances by the Russian military this year.

According to Time, senators also spent a substantial amount of time grilling intelligence experts on the national security threats presented by TikTok, the Chinese-owned social video app used by over 100 million Americans.

Chris Wray, director of the FBI, stated that the Chinese government might potentially utilize TikTok to manage millions of Americans' data and change public perception of the nation should it attack Taiwan.

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, the ranking Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, stated, "The greatest threat facing America is not another country."

He accused TiKTok of attempting to "collect our data, manipulate information, poison and feed garbage into the minds" of millions of Americans. While the app was not referenced in the 40-page unclassified report issued by the intelligence community on Wednesday, TikTok is facing heightened attention in Washington.

Last week, the White House supported a new bipartisan Senate bill that would give the Biden administration the authority to ban foreign technology that poses a danger to national security, one of the numerous legislative efforts to restrict the social app.

According to the heads of US intelligence, the US intelligence community continues to remain divided on the origins of the COVID-19 virus. The US Energy Department, which controls a network of national laboratories, had judged with low confidence that a lab leak in Wuhan, China, was the most likely source of the epidemic.

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China's Support For Russia

China is contemplating supplying Russia with weapons, ammunition, and drones, according to declassified documents released by the Biden administration at the end of February 2023. China's military assistance would directly enable Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

This public admission, which emerged less than a month after the US military shot down a Chinese spy balloon that was reportedly being used for espionage, further escalated relations between the United States and China.

It also comes when Russia is incurring escalating financial and human costs in its war against Ukraine. These defeats have compelled the Russian administration to seek assistance wherever it can.

Russia has attempted to acquire weapons and other military support from allies such as North Korea and Belarus. Russia has also resorted to neutral nations like India and China to sell its oil and gas and generate more revenue.

China has not officially stated a decision to provide Russia with military assistance. Costly is massive military aid to a faltering army. In 2022, the United States spent nearly $75 billion in assistance to Ukraine. China is considering supplying Russia with military weapons despite the high cost of conflict.

China's economic interests in Russia include money, oil, and commercial potential. The United States effectively pushed a gap between the two nations throughout the Cold War.

Nonetheless, after the end of the Cold War, commercial ties between Russia and China increased. Since February 2022, when Russia initially started a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, China has sought to maintain a "pro-Russia" neutrality.

In other words, China is officially neutral and is not participating in the conflict. However, its government officials continue to parrot Russia's war narrative and propaganda while disregarding what Ukraine tells the world.

China has condemned Western intervention in the conflict. In addition, it has presented a peace plan for the crisis that does not require Russia to remove its soldiers from Ukraine. China has thus far refrained from giving military help to Russia. Changing direction would be a significant break from China's prior stated neutrality posture, as per SFGate.

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