President Joe Biden's nominee to be CIA director has told a Senate committee he sees competition with China - and countering its "adversarial, predatory" leadership - as the key to US national security.
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William Burns, 64, a former career diplomat, is expected to easily win confirmation to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Burns has already been confirmed by the Senate five times for his stints as ambassador to Jordan and Russia and three senior State Department positions.
The Senate intelligence committee will likely vote on his confirmation late next week or the week after.
Testifying to the committee on Wednesday, Burns outlined his four top priorities - "people, partnerships, China and technology" - if he was confirmed.
He called China "a formidable, authoritarian adversary" that was strengthening its ability to steal intellectual property, repress its people, expand its reach and build influence within the United States.
During questioning, Burns said if he were a US college or university president, he would recommend shutting down Confucius Institutes - Beijing-funded campus cultural centres that many members of Congress see as propaganda tools.
Competition with China is a top priority for the Biden administration and for members of Congress, who want a tough line towards Beijing.
Russian aggression also is a concern, especially its involvement in US elections and the recent SolarWinds hack of government agencies.
He said "familiar" threats persisted, including from Russia, North Korea and Iran. He also said climate change, global health issues and cyber threats were great risks and "an adversarial, predatory Chinese leadership poses our biggest geopolitical test".
Burns helped lead secret talks with Iran in 2013 that helped pave the way for the international nuclear deal. He told the hearing Iran must not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.
Australian Associated Press
