A US intelligence report said on Wednesday that China will continue to cooperate with Russia as part of its attempts to challenge the United States, despite international concerns about Russia's war on Ukraine.
The report, submitted by the directors of US intelligence agencies during the annual Senate hearing, relates to the assessment of global threats to US security.
US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said: Perhaps it goes without saying that China, which continues to challenge the United States economically, technologically, politically and militarily, remains our absolute top priority.
Haines added that in order to achieve Chinese President Xi Jinping's vision of making his country a major power, the Chinese Communist Party is "absolutely convinced that there is no way to achieve this except at the expense of the power and influence of the United States."
On the other hand, the US intelligence director saw that Beijing believes that it is benefiting from the stability of its relationship with Washington, despite the recent severe criticism of the Chinese president against the United States.
The report said China would maintain its diplomatic, defense, economic and technological cooperation with Russia "in an effort to continue to challenge the United States" even if it would reduce its public support.
On the Russian level, the report stated that Moscow may not seek to enter into a conflict with the United States and NATO, but the war in Ukraine includes a "great danger", noting that there is a "real possibility" that failures could lead to Russian military action in Ukraine is diminishing the prestige of Russian President Vladimir Putin domestically, which increases the potential for escalation.
The US report also concluded that Beijing will continue to intimidate its opponents in the South China Sea, and that it will rely on measures taken since 2022, which may include increased crossings of the Taiwan Strait and firing missiles over it.