While giving testimony to the US Senate Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday, FBI Director Christopher Wray said that China poses the greatest threat to the US.
He urged Russia was trying to remain relevant while China is making plans for the future.
He said: “Russia is in many ways, fighting to stay relevant after the fall of the Soviet Union.
“They’re fighting today’s fight.”
Mr Wray added China is not only “fighting today’s fight”, but are also looking towards the future in order to stay ahead of the rest of the world.
The director said: “China is fighting tomorrow’s fight, and the day after tomorrow, and the day after that.
“And it affects every sector of our economy, every state in the country, and just about every aspect of what we hold dear.”
Just last week the competence of Russia’s intelligence agencies was called into question after a list of over 300 name soft active agents in the GRU, Russia’s intelligence service, was discovered online.
The leak occurred after British and Dutch authorities disclosed the identities of the four individuals who conspired to hack into the world’s chemicals testing authority.
These men are believed to be part of Unit 26165, the “GRU 85 Main Special Service Centre”.
After tracing the address on the vehicle registration, other vehicles were found to be registered to the same address which revealed the names of 305 more individuals believed to be members of the GRU.
Bob Seely, a Tory MP who sits on the Foreign Affairs Committee criticised the Russian intelligence unit for their blunder.
He said: “It is extraordinarily unprofessional on the part of the GRU.
“It shows that subversion is probably beyond their professional capability – they can’t even cover their tracks in the most basic of ways.
“It is very sloppy and makes President Putin look foolish.
“We need to be finding out where all these people have been travelling.
“305 is the best part of a battalion – let’s find how many of them have been to the UK and whereabouts.”
Alexander Baunov, a former Russian diplomat, argued the GRU had lagged behind the West after the Cold War ended and were not as prepared for a return to those same tensions.
He said: “They let their guard down.
“They weren’t ready for being recruited like they’re being recruited now by Western spy agencies, for being monitored like they are being monitored now.”
“Boshirov, one of Salisbury suspects, is about 40, he’s from the 1990s, they didn’t grow up in a situation of conflict with the West like there is now.”