China ‘absolute number one’ national security threat to US: Nikki Haley

China is the United States' "absolute number one" national security threat, said Indian-American Republican politician Nikki Haley on Saturday (local time), adding that US President Donald Trump has made sure Beijing does not steal American intellectual property.

Speaking during a fireside chat event organised by the Indian Voices for Trump in the battleground state of Philadelphia, Haley, former US Ambassador to the UN, said President Trump has "put China on notice".

"China is our absolute number one threat right now, a huge national security threat. With the trade deal that the President did, not only did he get a better trade deal for us, he put China on notice with intellectual property," the 48-year-old said.

"He has made sure that they know that they cannot turn around and steal intellectual property. They cannot go and spy on our universities, and that we are going to hold them accountable as we go forward," she added.

The two-term governor of South Carolina, Haley was the first Cabinet-ranking Indian-American in any presidential administration. She is now campaigning for Trump ahead of the US election.

The US and China relations have swiftly deteriorated in the past few months over a range of issues including COVID-19 origin, Indo Pacific, Hong Kong and trade disagreements.

During the event, Haley also hit out at Democratic Presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden and accused former US President Barack Obama''s administration of sponsoring terrorism.

"The last administration, under Biden, Obama gave literally planes full of cash to the largest sponsor of terror. And they took that cash and funnelled it and spread terrorism throughout Yemen, and Lebanon, and Syria, and Iraq. And all these places. The President pulled out of the Iran deal so they will have the money to spend," she said.

The presential elections in the US will be held on Tuesday, November 3.