China is conducting "human testing" to create "biologically enhanced soldiers", the head of US intelligence has claimed as he warned that Beijing now poses the biggest threat to the national security of the United States.
In an article for the Wall Street Journal, John Ratcliffe, the US director of national intelligence, warned that America must be prepared for an "open-ended" confrontation with China which he likened to the Cold War.
Ratcliffe said he believes China's intention was to "dominate" the planet in every sense: economically, militarily and technologically. US intelligence showed that China had "conducted human testing on soldiers in the People's Liberation Army in hope of developing them with biologically enhanced capabilities".
He added: "There are no ethical boundaries to Beijing's pursuit of power."
Ratcliffe also said that his unique vantage point on current security threats had led him to conclude that "the People's Republic of China poses the greatest threat to America today, and the greatest threat to democracy and freedom worldwide since the Second World War".
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He went on to outline China's strategy of economic espionage, which he framed as "rob, replicate and replace".
He said: "China robs US companies of their intellectual property, replicates the technology, and then replaces the US firms in the global marketplace.”
Hua Chunying, China's foreign affairs spokesman, dismissed Ratcliffe's article as "fake news" that contained no real evidence and jeopardised relations between the two countries.
"We hope that American politicians will respect the facts, stop making and selling fake news, stop fabricating and spreading political viruses and lies, and stop damaging Sino-US relations, otherwise it will only further damage the credibility of the United States," she said.
The article by the former Republican congressman from Texas was reportedly part of the Donald Trump administration's wider efforts to enact a series of tough policies to confront China during the final weeks of his presidency.
Senior administration officials have hinted that the US president is determined to cement his tough stance on Beijing with policies that President-elect Joe Biden will find difficult to undo when he takes over in January.
"Unless Beijing reverses course and becomes a responsible player on the global stage, future US presidents will find it politically suicidal to reverse President Trump's historic actions," John Ullyot, a spokesman for the National Security Council, told Axios, the US news website, last month.
In recent weeks, Trump has issued an executive order barring US investment in 31 companies the Defense Department believes has links to the Chinese military as well as banning cotton imports from companies accused of human rights violations in Xinjiang.
