U.S. spy chiefs contradict Trump on what threatens U.S.

China and Russia pose thebiggest risks to the United States and are more aligned thanthey have been in decades, U.S. intelligence leaders toldsenators on Tuesday, in testimony that repeatedly contradictedPresident Donald Trump's statements on global threats.

While Beijing and Moscow seek to expand their global reach,Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said, some Americanallies are pulling away from Washington in reaction to changingU.S. policies on security and trade.

"China, Russia, Iranand North Korea increasingly use cyberoperations to threaten both minds and machines in an expandingnumber of ways to steal information, to influence ourcitizensor to disrupt critical infrastructure," Coats said in delivering the annual Worldwide Threat Assessment from the Directorateof National Intelligence (DNI) report.

He testified with the directors of the CIA, FBI and other topintelligence officials at the Senate intelligence committee's annual hearing on worldwide threats.

"Moscow's relationship with Beijing is closer than it's beenin many decades," Coats told the panel.

The intelligence chiefs' assessments broke with some pastassertions by their boss, including on the threat posed by Russia to U.S. elections and democratic institutions and NorthKorea's determination to denuclearize.

Coats said North Korea is unlikely togive up all of its nuclear weapons and has continued activityinconsistent with pledges to denuclearize.Trump has said the country no longer posesa threat.

The White House has said Trump will hold a second summitwith North Korean leader Kim Jong-un around the end of February, but economic sanctions willbe maintained.

On Jan. 19 Trump said he had had "an incredible" meetingwith North Korea's nuclear envoy Kim Yong Chol in Washington andthe two sides had made "a lot of progress" on denuclearization.

The intelligence officials also said Iran was not developingnuclear weapons in violation of the 2015 nuclear agreement, eventhough Tehran has threatened to reverse some commitments afterTrump pulled out of the deal.

Allies pull away

Senators expressed deep concern about current threats.

"Increased co-operation between Russia and China for ageneration that hasn't been the case that could be a very bigdeal on the horizon in terms of the United States," said Sen. Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats.

Coats also said some U.S. allies are seeking moreindependence, responding to their perceptions of Washington's changing policies on security and trade, and "are becoming moreopen" to new partnerships.

"The post-World War Two international system is coming underincreasing strain amid continuing cyber and WMD proliferationthreats, competition in space and regional conflicts," Coatssaid, using the acronym for weapons of mass destruction.

The officials painted a multifaceted picture of the threatposed by China, as they were questioned repeatedly by senatorsabout the No. 2 world economy's business practices as well asits growing international influence.

"The Chinese counter-intelligence threat is more deep, morediverse, more vexing, more challenging, more comprehensive andmore concerning than any counterintelligence threat I can thinkof," FBI Director Christopher Wray said.

Sen. Richard Burr, the committee's Republican chairman,said the government must work with private companies to fosterinnovation, while balancing concern about security risks. Manylawmakers have blasted technology companies over the past twoyears for doing too little to fight the spread of false newsreports and other misinformation.

Coats said intelligence officials have been travelling aroundthe United States and meeting with corporate executives to
discuss espionage threats from China.

Tuesday's testimony came just a day after the United Statesannounced criminal charges against China's Huawei Technologies, escalating a fight with the world's biggesttelecommunications equipment maker and coming days before tradetalks between Washington and Beijing.

Coats also said U.S. adversaries likely are already lookingto interfere in the 2020 U.S. election, refining their capabilities and adding new tactics.

He said Russia's social media efforts will continue to focuson aggravating social and racial tensions, undermining trust inauthorities and criticizing politicians perceived to beanti-Russia.

Sen. Mark Warner, the panel's top Democrat, said he wasparticularly concerned about Russia's use of social media "toamplify divisions in our society and to influence our democraticprocesses," and the threat from China in the technology arena.

The Senate intelligence committee is one of severalcongressional panels, along with special counsel Robert Mueller, that have been investigating whether there were any connectionsbetween Trump's 2016 and Russian efforts to influence theelection.

Coats declined to respond when Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat, asked whether Trump's not releasing records of his discussionswith Russian President Vladimir Putin put U.S. intelligenceagencies at a disadvantage.

"To me, from an intelligence perspective, it's just Intel 101that it would help our country to know what Vladimir Putin discussed with Donald Trump," Wyden said.

Trump denies colluding with Russia, and Russia deniesattempting to influence U.S. elections.

The intelligence officials were due to continue testifyingto the committee at a classified hearing later on Tuesday.