On Wednesday, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Christopher Wray stated his belief that the “biggest long-term threat” to the United States is China.
According tp ABC News, Wray made his remarks at a press conference in London alongside his British counterpart, MI5 Director General Ken McCallum; as such, Wray also said that he considers China to be the biggest threat to the United Kingdom as well.
“The Chinese government is set on stealing your technology — whatever it is that makes your industry tick — and using it to undercut your business and dominate your market,” said Wray. “And they’re set on using every tool at their disposal to do it.”
“We’ve even caught people affiliated with Chinese companies out in the U.S. heartland, sneaking into fields to dig up proprietary, genetically modified seeds, which would have cost them nearly a decade and billions in research to develop themselves,” Wray explained. “And those efforts pale in comparison to their lavishly-resourced hacking program that’s bigger than that of every other major country combined.”
Wray thus warned that American companies should be cautious in any business dealings with China, and urged business leaders to first reach out to the FBI for further information on how to combat the Chinese threat, particularly with regards to cyber warfare.
Wray also acknowledged that, if China ultimately decided to invade the neighboring island nation of Taiwan, it would result in widespread economic disruption, as well as backlash and international sanctions, similar to the reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Just as in Russia, Western investments built over years could become hostage capital stranded, supply chains and relationships disrupted,” Wray continued. “Companies are caught between sanctions and Chinese law forbidding compliance with them. That’s not just geopolitics. It’s business forecasting.”
The remarks by the FBI Director appear to suggest that the Biden Administration is pivoting away from its prior attempts to soften relations with China. Following the Trump Administration and its largely successful approach of protectionist trade policies toward China, Biden stated his intentions to reverse much of what President Trump did and increase diplomacy with China. However, China has continued its acts of aggression across the world, from ongoing cyber attacks against the U.S. and others, as well as repeated threats against Taiwan.