CIA chief makes secret trip to China to mend ties

CIA Director Bill Burns traveled to China last month, a secret trip by one of President Joe Biden’s most trusted officials indicating how concerned the White House was about deteriorating relations between Beijing and Washington.

Five people familiar with the situation said Burns, a former top diplomat who is often entrusted with delicate foreign missions, traveled to China for talks with officials.

The most senior trip to China by a Biden administration official comes as Washington pushes for high-level engagements to try to stabilize ties with Beijing.

The White House and the CIA declined to comment. But a US official said that Burns had met with Chinese intelligence officers during the trip.

“Last month, Director Burns traveled to Beijing, where he met with Chinese counterparts and emphasized the importance of maintaining open lines of communication across intelligence channels,” the US official said.

Burns’ mission took place the same month that US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met Wang Yi, China’s top foreign policy official, in Vienna. The White House did not announce that meeting until after it was over.

Burns’ trip was also the highest-level visit by a US official to China since Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman went to Tianjin in July 2021.

Biden has on several occasions asked the director of the CIA to conduct delicate missions at home and abroad. Burns traveled to Moscow in November 2021 to warn Russian officials against invading Ukraine.

Multiple people familiar with the situation said Biden sent Burns to Capitol Hill last year in an effort to persuade then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi not to travel to Taiwan.

The White House has been trying to open up exchanges with China after a particularly turbulent period that began in February, when a suspected Chinese spy balloon flew over North America. The incident derailed an effort to establish a “floor” under the relationship that Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping had agreed upon when they met at the G20 in Bali in November.

Biden said last month that he expected an imminent “thaw” in relations, without giving details. Burns traveled to China before Biden made remarks at the G7 summit in Hiroshima.

“As both an experienced diplomat and senior intelligence official, Burns is uniquely placed to engage in a dialogue that potentially contributes to the Biden administration’s objective of stabilizing the relationship and giving the relationship a floor under.” Could be,” said China expert Bonnie Glaser. German Marshall Fund.

Paul Henley, a former top White House China official, said that one advantage of sending Burns was that he was respected by Democrats and Republicans and was also well known to Chinese officials.

“They know him to be a reliable interlocutor. They would welcome the opportunity to engage him quietly behind the scenes,” said Heinl, now director of the Carnegie China think-tank. See it as an opportunity.”

While Burns is widely viewed as one of the most trusted individuals in the US government, his visit continues a tradition of CIA directors being used for sensitive missions.

“CIA directors have a long history of covert diplomacy. They are able to travel in complete secrecy and often have strong ties with host intelligence services built up over time,” said Dennis Wilder, a former CIA China expert. He also served as the top White House Asia official during the George W. Bush administration.

The US is trying to restart a trip to China that Secretary of State Antony Blinken abruptly canceled over the balloon incident, but Beijing has so far refused to give it the green light.

Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu has also refused to meet US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Singapore this weekend after Washington refused to lift sanctions on him. The two men are attending the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference, where they are scheduled to deliver speeches.

While a formal meeting between the two ministers was not expected, the Pentagon said they “spoke briefly” at the opening dinner of the forum, which is hosted by the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

“The two leaders shook hands, but there was no conversation,” the Pentagon said.

CIA Director Bill Burns traveled to China last month, a secret trip by one of President Joe Biden’s most trusted officials indicating how concerned the White House was about deteriorating relations between Beijing and Washington.

Five people familiar with the situation said Burns, a former top diplomat who is often entrusted with delicate foreign missions, traveled to China for talks with officials.

The most senior trip to China by a Biden administration official comes as Washington pushes for high-level engagements to try to stabilize ties with Beijing.

The White House and the CIA declined to comment. But a US official said that Burns had met with Chinese intelligence officers during the trip.

“Last month, Director Burns traveled to Beijing, where he met with Chinese counterparts and emphasized the importance of maintaining open lines of communication across intelligence channels,” the US official said.

Burns’ mission took place the same month that US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met Wang Yi, China’s top foreign policy official, in Vienna. The White House did not announce that meeting until after it was over.

Burns’ trip was also the highest-level visit by a US official to China since Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman went to Tianjin in July 2021.

Biden has on several occasions asked the director of the CIA to conduct delicate missions at home and abroad. Burns traveled to Moscow in November 2021 to warn Russian officials against invading Ukraine.

Multiple people familiar with the situation said Biden sent Burns to Capitol Hill last year in an effort to persuade then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi not to travel to Taiwan.

The White House has been trying to open up exchanges with China after a particularly turbulent period that began in February, when a suspected Chinese spy balloon flew over North America. The incident derailed an effort to establish a “floor” under the relationship that Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping had agreed upon when they met at the G20 in Bali in November.

Biden said last month that he expected an imminent “thaw” in relations, without giving details. Burns traveled to China before Biden made remarks at the G7 summit in Hiroshima.

“As both an experienced diplomat and senior intelligence official, Burns is uniquely placed to engage in a dialogue that potentially contributes to the Biden administration’s objective of stabilizing the relationship and giving the relationship a floor under.” Could be,” said China expert Bonnie Glaser. German Marshall Fund.

Paul Henley, a former top White House China official, said that one advantage of sending Burns was that he was respected by Democrats and Republicans and was also well known to Chinese officials.

“They know him to be a reliable interlocutor. They would welcome the opportunity to engage him quietly behind the scenes,” said Heinl, now director of the Carnegie China think-tank. See it as an opportunity.”

While Burns is widely viewed as one of the most trusted individuals in the US government, his visit continues a tradition of CIA directors being used for sensitive missions.

“CIA directors have a long history of covert diplomacy. They are able to travel in complete secrecy and often have strong ties with host intelligence services built up over time,” said Dennis Wilder, a former CIA China expert. He also served as the top White House Asia official during the George W. Bush administration.

The US is trying to restart a trip to China that Secretary of State Antony Blinken abruptly canceled over the balloon incident, but Beijing has so far refused to give it the green light.

Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu has also refused to meet US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Singapore this weekend after Washington refused to lift sanctions on him. The two men are attending the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference, where they are scheduled to deliver speeches.

While a formal meeting between the two ministers was not expected, the Pentagon said they “spoke briefly” at the opening dinner of the forum, which is hosted by the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

“The two leaders shook hands, but there was no conversation,” the Pentagon said.