Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director on Tuesday said that acts of espionage and theft by China’s government pose the ‘greatest long-term threat’ to the future of the United States.

Speaking to the Hudson Institute in Washington, Christopher Wray described a multi-pronged disruption campaign, according to reports.

He said China had begun targeting Chinese nationals living abroad, coercing their return, and was working to compromise US coronavirus research.

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In a nearly hour-long speech on Tuesday, the FBI Director outlined a stark picture of Chinese interference, a far-reaching campaign of economic espionage, data and monetary theft and illegal political activities, using bribery and blackmail to influence US policy.

The FBI director said that Chinese President Xi Jinping had spearheaded a programme called ‘Fox Hunt’, geared at Chinese nationals living abroad seen as threats to the Chinese government.