Washington, March 19 China is seeking to overtake the US as the world’s top artificial intelligence power by 2030 while rapidly modernising its military to ensure it can seize Taiwan by force if needed, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told lawmakers on Thursday even as she said Beijing still appears to prefer “an eventual peaceful reunification with Taiwan short of conflict.”
Presenting the 2026 Annual Threat Assessment before the House Intelligence Committee, Gabbard said Beijing “aims to displace the US as the global AI leader by 2030” and continues to expand its technological and military capabilities to strengthen its global position.
She said the intelligence community assesses that China is “the most capable competitor” in artificial intelligence, a technology she described as rapidly reshaping the global threat landscape.
The adoption of AI at scale, she warned, “poses serious risks,” including its potential use in weapons design, battlefield targeting, and decision-making systems.
“AI has the potential to aid in weapons and systems design and has been used in recent conflicts to influence targeting and streamline decision making,” Gabbard said, underscoring how emerging technologies are becoming central to future warfare.
On the military front, she said China continues to “rapidly modernise its military forces across all domains” to achieve “world-class status by mid-century.” This includes building capabilities designed to deter U.S. and allied forces in the Indo-Pacific region.
The intelligence assessment also pointed to Beijing’s strategic objective of developing the capability to take Taiwan by force if necessary. At the same time, Gabbard said China likely prefers to shape conditions for “an eventual peaceful reunification with Taiwan short of conflict.”
Beyond military developments, China’s ambitions extend to economic and geopolitical influence. Gabbard said Beijing is working “to elevate its own political, economic, military and technological power” to expand global influence and counter perceived threats to its interests.
In the cyber domain, she warned that China remains one of the most persistent threats to U.S. networks and critical infrastructure. The intelligence community assesses that China, along with Russia, continues to invest heavily in cyber capabilities to collect intelligence and create options for future disruption.
Gabbard also highlighted China’s growing presence in regions such as Latin America and the Arctic. In the Western Hemisphere, she said China’s demand for raw materials is likely to drive continued economic outreach, while in the Arctic, it is pursuing “more limited efforts” to advance strategic and economic interests.
China and Russia are developing advanced missile delivery systems designed to “penetrate or bypass US missile defences,” reflecting a broader trend of rising strategic competition among major powers.
The assessment further noted that emerging technologies such as quantum computing could give early adopters a decisive advantage by enabling them to process sensitive national security data and break existing encryption systems.
Gabbard said the intelligence community continues to prioritise threats to the U.S. homeland and global risks, with China, Russia, North Korea and Iran seen as key state actors shaping the evolving security environment.
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