The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director stated China is considered to be the United States' long-time threat with its espionage and theft activities that alarm the official's vision of the country's future.
International disruption campaign
According to BBC, the intelligence agency's Director Christopher Wray told the Hudson Institute in Washington about a multi-pronged disruption campaign that was in the works.
The official claimed China was targeting Chinese nationals who were living in different countries to urge them to come back to the mainland while conspiring with parties to allegedly sabotage coronavirus research in the US.
Wray said that the risks were at an all-time high as he alleged China is working towards becoming the only superpower at all costs.
On Tuesday in a nearly hour-long speech, Wray described the way that China conducts interference which he claims has been conducting a campaign that has extended its reach to include economic espionage, data and financial theft, and illegal political actions by utilizing bribery and blackmail.
The FBI director said the agency is currently opening a counterintelligence case related to China every ten hours. He added that nearly half of the 5,000 active counterintelligence cases they are conducting are related to China.
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Allegedly, Chinese President Xi Jinping had initiated and monitored a program named "Fox Hunt" which Wray said aims to focus down on Chinese officials who are living abroad that Beijing sees as a threat to the nation's government.
The list includes political rivals that oppose the Community Party, opposition, and critics who are working to reveal the Chinese government's extensive violations of human rights. Wray added that China is taking terrifying measures to ensure that the nationals return to the mainland.
Frightening political measures
The director continued to explain that if the program were unable to locate one of its targets, the Chinese government would send a messenger to the United States and visit the target's family. The emissary would then have the family pass on a message that gave them two options; surrender themselves and return to China, or commit suicide.
Wray said that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and US Attorney General William Barr have begun preparing to reveal new proposals that would address the Chinese threat in the following weeks, as reported by the South China Morning Post.
Appealing to anyone in the United States who believed Beijing was targeting them, Wray urged the individuals to reach out to the local FBI office nearest to them to seek help and protection.
Beyond just espionage and theft, Wray claims China also interfered with political matters in the US by either directly or indirectly pressuring local officials to discourage them from travelling to Taiwan.
China would not allow the travel to Taiwan, said Wray, and stated the action would be seen internationally as an affirmation of Taiwan's independence from the mainland. The director, however, did not specify details of the accusation and the FBI declined to comment further on the case.
