Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats issued one of the starkest and most explicit warnings to date about China's cyber activities, calling them "unprecedented in scale" and explicitly aimed at undermining U.S. interests. In remarks at The Citadel, Coats said the Chinese government is actively targeting U.S. state and local governments and officials, "trying to exploit any divisions between federal and local levels on policy." He did not name either states or officials, nor did he elaborate on which policies had been targeted. Calling Beijing's efforts to conduct influence operations "more methodical" than those being implemented by Russia, Coats said China benefited from the relative stability in its relationship with the U.S. In contrast with Russia, he said, China operates in a "more deliberate and subtle manner" that generates comparatively less public attention. The remarks were a shift in focus from Coats' previous public statements, which had to date primarily concentrated on Russia's efforts to undermine U.S. CBS News.