Biden's nominee for intel director says China growing authoritarian at home and assertive abroad

China is expanding its authoritarian approach at home, while it is being more assertive overseas, incoming US President Joe Biden's top spy pick, Avril Haines, told lawmakers on Tuesday, as Senators expressed concerns over the rising security threat from Beijing.

“We should provide the necessary intelligence to support long-term bipartisan efforts to out-compete China — gaining and sharing insight into China’s intentions and capabilities, while also supporting more immediate efforts to counter Beijing’s unfair, illegal, aggressive and coercive actions, as well as its human rights violations, whenever we can,” said Haines, during her confirmation hearing for the position of national intelligence director (DNI).

If conformed by the Senate, Haines, 51, would oversee as many as 18 American intelligence agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). “China has been growing more authoritarian at home and more assertive abroad, and is challenging our security, prosperity, and values in significant ways,” she said.

Haines said, if confirmed, she would ensure that the collection and analysis of information relating to the full scope of China’s activities is a top priority for the entire intelligence community. Senator Mark Warner noted that perhaps the greatest challenge facing the DNI will be a rising China that is committed to surpassing and eclipsing the US militarily, economically and technologically.

“It's important at least, for me that we constantly make clear that our beef with China is with the Communist party and Xi Jinping, not with the Chinese people especially not with Chinese Americans,” he said.

Senator Marco Rubio said the current tensions in relationship with China is not because the US as a nation have done something wrong. It is because the US had a flawed bipartisan consensus for almost two decades -- that China, once they got rich and prosperous, would become like America, Rubio said.

“And then we woke up to the reality that they steal our trade secrets, our intellectual property. They use students in our universities to spy on us and steal research. They've made massive unprecedented military gains, some of it through technology they've stolen from us, and frankly some of it funded by American investors through the stock market,” he alleged.

“They obviously cheat on trade and on commerce. Their businesses want to operate freely here, but they restrict what our businesses can do there. And then to top it all off, they put Muslims in work and detention camps where they re-educate them away from their identity, the horrific treatment of Tibet, the lack of any religious liberty and the like, and their support of elements around the world that are a danger and a threat to peace and freedom,” he said.

During her confirmation hearing, Haines said that to be trusted, the DNI must uphold democratic values and ensure that the work of the intelligence community, mostly done in secret, is ethical, wise, lawful and effective.

“And I commit to you, if confirmed, that I will live in accordance with these principles and the ethos they represent, with the aim of restoring trust and confidence both within the intelligence community and among those we serve and protect,” she said. Responding to a question, she said that both the intelligence community and this committee concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 election. “I agree with those conclusions,” she said.

“Foreign interference in the U.S. electoral process represents an assault on the American people and their constitutional right to vote. Numerous unclassified intelligence assessments, as well as this committee’s own investigation, have underscored the significant activities that Russia in particular has taken, employing a range of tools in an attempt to sway voters’ preferences, sow political discord, undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process, and keep voters away from the polls,” Haines said, in a written response to pre-submitted questions.