In a stark redefinition of global strategic threats, CIA Deputy Director Michael Ellis has labeled China as the foremost “existential threat” to American national security, highlighting a shifting geopolitical landscape increasingly shaped by economic, technological, and strategic rivalry. In a May 21 interview with Axios, Ellis outlined how the US intelligence community is recalibrating its approach to confront Beijing’s growing clout-not through traditional military brinkmanship, but by waging a new kind of competition centered on economic influence and technological supremacy.

Unlike the Cold War confrontation with the Soviet Union, which was largely characterized by military standoffs and ideological conflict, the competition with China is playing out in boardrooms, research laboratories, and supply chains. “China is the existential threat to American security in a way that we really have never confronted before,” Ellis warned. This is not about nuclear arms races or proxy wars alone; it is about who leads the world in artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and biotech.

Ellis noted that the path to global influence in the 21st century hinges on technological dominance. Fields like quantum computing, advanced energy storage, and biotechnology will determine not just economic growth, but military and diplomatic power as well. “Technological supremacy will ultimately determine the outcome of the geopolitical contest,” he said.

The intelligence landscape is evolving rapidly, and the CIA is attempting to........

© Blitz