“We see nations such as China, Russia, Iran and North Korea becoming more aggressive and more capable in their nefarious activity than ever before,” he said. “These nations seek to undermine our core democratic, economic and scientific institutions.”

The modifications to the program known as the China Initiative, which brought espionage, trade-secrets theft and cybercrime cases under a single banner, come as Beijing continues to use spies, cyberhacking, theft and propaganda to challenge America’s standing as the world’s pre-eminent economic and military power. Such activity has only grown more acute.

The F.B.I. has more than 2,000 investigations into Chinese efforts to steal American information and technology, and it is opening new cases related to Chinese intelligence operations about every 12 hours, Christopher A. Wray, the bureau’s director, said last month. “There is just no country that presents a broader threat to our ideas, our innovation and our economic security than China,” he said.