The Director of US DNI has called China an “unparalleled priority” and “formidable challenge,” downgrading North Korea to a “traditional threat.”
U.S. National Intelligence Director Avril Haines said in a video interview hosted by the American Bar Association on the 13th, "Everyone sees China as the biggest threat and calls it an 'unprecedented threat' and 'a threat to pursue.' It was reported on the 14th by VOA.
“North Korea and its weapons of mass destruction are traditional threats that we have long faced and are still dealing with,” DNI Director Haines said.
In a speech on the 12th, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said, "The United States has recently been sending frequent signals that it is not hostile to our country, but there is no behavioral basis for believing that it is not. The United States is still creating regional tensions through its wrong judgments and actions,” he said. Obviously, we are not strengthening our national defense capabilities by targeting south Korea. The horrific history of using armaments among other peoples in this land must never be repeated,” he said, linking the United States to “regional tensions.”
The US CIA announced the launch of the China Mission Center (CMC) in the statement of Director William Burns on the 7th. He announced that the Trump regime would end the KMC operation against North Korea.
On April 13, the US National Intelligence Service released an annual threat assessment report that synthesized the analysis of 18 intelligence agencies.
At a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on the 14th, Haines said that China's regional aggression, cyber capabilities and economic power are "unmatched intelligence authorities' priorities" and are "nearly equal competitors." “We are challenging the United States in many areas while trying to change international norms in a way that we can do.”
Haines continued, Russia is trying to weaken US influence, and Iran is creating instability in the Middle East. North Korea said it could resume nuclear tests and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests as part of an attempt to rift between the United States and its allies.