WASHINGTON — China’s authorities is more and more satisfied it will probably solely make itself the pre-eminent energy in Asia, and a significant energy globally, by diminishing American affect, the highest U.S. intelligence official mentioned Wednesday.

The purpose of weakening U.S. energy and affect is one purpose China has continued to pursue a deepening partnership with Russia, in response to an annual intelligence menace evaluation that was additionally launched Wednesday.

Avril D. Haines, the director of nationwide intelligence who appeared earlier than a Senate committee to current the menace evaluation, mentioned China believes it will probably obtain its objectives of dominating its area and increasing its world attain “solely on the expense of U.S. energy and affect.”

“The Folks’s Republic of China, which is more and more difficult the USA economically, technologically, politically and militarily around the globe, stays our unparalleled precedence,” Ms. Haines mentioned.

The menace report is a significant yearly public launch of the intelligence businesses’ evaluation of quite a lot of nationwide safety challenges. Whereas some facets of the report barely change 12 months to 12 months, the part on China expanded considerably, reflecting the intelligence businesses’ better concentrate on the nation through the Biden administration.

Prodded by each events in Congress, the intelligence businesses have invested extra assets on China, created a brand new C.I.A. mission heart targeted on Beijing and brought different measures aimed toward bettering intelligence assortment and evaluation.

The annual evaluation mentioned that regardless of the worldwide condemnation of Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine, China will preserve its cooperation with Russia to attempt to problem the USA.

U.S. officers have warned that China is contemplating offering deadly help, corresponding to ammunition, to Russia for the battle in Ukraine. U.S. officers have decided that China had aimed to supply artillery shells to Russia however hoped to take action with out being detected, so Beijing might credibly preserve a public place of criticizing the USA for offering arms to Ukraine.

Officers within the Biden administration made public intelligence that China was contemplating a secret provision of deadly help together with each private and non-private messages to Beijing that such help would cross a line. Officers have warned that Washington would impose financial sanctions on Beijing if that help have been to go forward.

On the Senate Intelligence Committee listening to on Wednesday, Senator Angus King, unbiased of Maine, requested Ms. Haines if the connection between China and Russia was a non permanent marriage of comfort or a long-term love affair.

Ms. Haines mentioned it was not merely a short lived partnership however added that it had “some limitations.”

“We don’t see them turning into allies, the best way we’re with allies in NATO,” Ms. Haines mentioned.

China will proceed to deal with Russia as an essential strategic energy, regardless of the criticism that the USA and others have leveled at Beijing for sustaining that relationship, the report mentioned.

In her testimony on Wednesday, Ms. Haines bolstered the message that President Biden and his prime international coverage aides have been sending on China. Since his election marketing campaign in 2020, Mr. Biden has mentioned that whereas Russia is a medium-term problem, China is the best long-term rival of the USA and is the one nation with the ability and assets to reshape the American-led worldwide order.

Ms. Haines additionally underscored the espionage problem posed by China, saying its ambitions and skills make it “our most severe and consequential intelligence rival.”

Earlier this week, China’s president, Xi Jinping, issued his personal critique of the USA in feedback that state media reported on Monday.

“Western nations led by the USA have applied all-around containment, encirclement and suppression of China, which has introduced unprecedented extreme challenges to our nation’s improvement,” Mr. Xi mentioned in a speech, in response to China’s official information company.

The menace report additionally reiterates an inventory of the Biden administration’s views on the strategic challenges posed by China, a lot of which construct on analyses made through the Trump administration.

The report mentioned that as China’s chief, Xi Jinping, begins his third time period, the Chinese language Communist Celebration will work “to press Taiwan on unification, undercut U.S. affect, drive wedges between Washington and its companions and foster some norms that favor its authoritarian system.”

On the similar time, it mentioned, Chinese language leaders “most likely will search alternatives to cut back tensions with Washington once they imagine it fits their pursuits.”

The strengthening of China’s army and its expanded operations, particularly throughout the Asia-Pacific area, are a focus of the report.

“Beijing is more and more combining rising army energy with its financial, technological, and diplomatic affect,” the report mentioned, to strengthen social gathering rule, safe territory and “pursue world affect.”

The report additionally outlined how Chinese language leaders will doubtless be constrained in some insurance policies and actions due to inside elements — together with an ageing inhabitants and financial points.

The report’s authors say the Chinese language army is making an attempt to fulfill a purpose of Mr. Xi’s — to be highly effective sufficient by 2027 to stave off any U.S.-led intervention in an armed battle over Taiwan.

Mr. Xi has used that language to spur modernization of the Folks’s Liberation Military, the Chinese language army. However he and different Chinese language officers haven’t mentioned they may invade Taiwan anytime quickly, and actually, there’s vigorous debate inside U.S. businesses over Beijing’s precise intentions on Taiwan. Some U.S. army officers have spoken of Beijing doubtless performing within the subsequent few years to drive Taiwan to come back underneath Communist Celebration rule, however these are particular person views inside the U.S. authorities.

The report additionally provides new insights on Beijing’s evaluation of nuclear threats and the prospect of a nuclear battle.

Beijing has decided that rising tensions and rising U.S. nuclear capabilities “have elevated the probability of a U.S. first strike,” the report mentioned.

Beijing has concluded its nuclear capabilities are inadequate, goals to develop its nuclear arsenal and is constructing a whole lot of recent silos for intercontinental ballistic missiles, the report mentioned. Rising confidence in its arsenal over time, in response to the report, will “bolster its resolve and intensify standard conflicts.”

The report additionally warns that China will keep away from signing nuclear arms agreements with the USA or Russia, at the very least till it modernizes and builds its arsenal.

“Beijing will not be occupied with agreements that limit its plans and won’t conform to negotiations that lock in U.S. or Russian benefits,” the report mentioned.