United States (US) senior intelligence official John Ratcliffe claims China has been the 'biggest threat to democracy and freedom' since World War II.
According to Ratcliffe as quoted by the Wall St Journal, China has expanded its power by ‘stealing’ US secrets and then replacing US firms in the market.
US President Donald Trump's administration has cracked down on China by imposing tariffs on Beijing goods and accusing the country of stealing intellectual property.
Ratcliffe, who serves as Director of National Intelligence, also warned that Beijing was preparing to confront the US and intended to dominate the world in terms of military, economic and technological aspects.
He added that China is involved in the form of economic espionage which is described as 'robbing, imitating and replacing'. Ratcliffe gave an example of a case involving a Chinese windmill firm found guilty of stealing from a US rival company before being sold to the global market.
Ratcliffe added that US $ 500 billion worth of intellectual property has been stolen every year. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) also frequently detained a number of Chinese nationals who stole research materials.
Ratcliffe also claimed that Chinese intelligence services introduced vulnerable technologies offered by leading Chinese technology firms such as Huawei and revealed that Beijing's allies using the technology would not share any information with US intelligence.
Ratcliffe further claimed that the US intelligence investigation also found that China had conducted human tests to develop an army with extraordinary capabilities.
In addition, he revealed that China has been involved in lobbying for members of the US Congress and its staff by encouraging trade unions in large firms to have the US government be gentle with China.
Ratcliffe explained that not only did China do the same to the US but also to other countries.
