CIA director says China is #1 priority, poses biggest challenge from adversary in US history

CIA Director John Ratcliffe declared in an internal memo that China is the top priority for his agency, warning that “no adversary in the history of our Nation has presented a more formidable challenge or a more capable strategic competitor than the Chinese Communist Party.” 

The internal CIA memo directed to the agency’s rank and file was provided to Fox News by a senior CIA official on Thursday.  

“For CIA to continue successfully defending our Nation, we will build upon our strong foundation and pursue with laser-like focus the near-term priorities for CIA that our President and our country demand. China sits at the very top of that list,” Ratcliffe wrote. 

“No adversary in the history of our Nation has presented a more formidable challenge or a more capable strategic competitor than the Chinese Communist Party,” he continued. “It is intent on dominating the world economically, militarily, and technologically, and it is aggressively trying to out-compete America in every corner of the globe.” 

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Chinese President Xi Jinping listens as Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, not pictured, speaks during their meeting at the Office of the Party Central Committee in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Monday, April 14. (AP/Minh Hoang)

Ratcliffe said the CIA must continue to respond to the threats China poses “with urgency, creativity, and grit.” 

“I’ve emboldened CIA’s leadership team to take on more risks, smartly, and to aggressively seek out short- and long-term opportunities that give the United States the advantage it needs to keep China in our rear-view window. It won’t be easy, but I pledge to lead the charge in helping us do just that,” he added. 

CHINA RAMPS UP MILITARY ‘REHEARSALS’ AROUND TAIWAN, OUTSTRIPS US IN AIR, MARITIME, SPACE 

Vice President JD Vance, left, swears in newly confirmed CIA Director John Ratcliffe while his wife, Michele Ratcliffe looks on during a ceremony in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House on Jan. 23. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images))

Ratcliffe said, “Technology is another top priority; one that is in many ways intertwined with the threat posed by the CCP.  

“Emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and quantum computing will define the future of national security and geopolitical power,” he wrote in the memo. 

An assault vehicle unit carries out a fire strike during actual combat training in Ningbo, China, on Jan. 10. (Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

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“Concurrently, our adversaries – China, Russia, and Iran – seek to gain footholds in countries in our near-abroad. We must continue to push back against these efforts,” Ratcliffe also said. “To best position CIA in addressing this priority, we are taking a close look at how we can create a unified effort across the range of policy objectives in this region. The American people deserve our best.”