CIA Director Bill Burns was in China last month, a secret visit by one of President Joe Biden’s most trusted officials shows how concerned the White House is about deteriorating relations between Beijing and Washington, the Financial Times reported on Friday (FT), as quoted by the News. .ro. The visit of Bill Burns, which took place in May, became the most important trip to Beijing by an official of the Biden administration, the FT states.

William Burns, a former senior diplomat who is often tasked with secret missions abroad, traveled to China for talks with officials in Beijing, five people with knowledge of the trip told the FT.

The visit came in the context of Washington pushing for high-level engagement with Beijing in an attempt to stabilize bilateral relations. A US official said Burns met with Chinese intelligence officials during the trip.

“Director Burns visited Beijing last month, where he met with his Chinese counterparts and emphasized the importance of maintaining open lines of communication between intelligence channels,” the US official said.

The White House and the CIA declined to comment on the information obtained by the FT.

Burns’ mission came the same month that US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met in Vienna with Wang Yi, a top Chinese foreign policy official. The White House announced this meeting only after its conclusion.

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

Bill Burns, specialist in secret missions assigned by Biden

President Joe Biden has repeatedly asked the CIA director to carry out important missions at home and abroad. Burns personally traveled to Moscow in November 2021 to warn Russian leaders not to invade Ukraine. Last year, Biden also sent Burns to the Capitol to persuade then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi not to go to Taiwan.

The White House has been trying to rekindle dialogue with China after a particularly tumultuous period that began in February when a suspected Chinese spy balloon flew over North America. Last month, Biden said he expected an inevitable “thaw” in relations, without giving details. Burns visited China before Biden made the comment, the FT reported.

“As a seasoned diplomat and senior intelligence official, Burns is uniquely positioned to engage in a dialogue that could potentially advance the Biden administration’s goal of stabilizing and laying the groundwork for that relationship,” said Bonnie Glaser, a China expert at the German Foundation. Marshall.

Paul Henle, a former senior White House official who handled China relations, said one of the advantages of sending Burns is that he is respected by Democrats and Republicans and is well known to officials. “They know him as a reliable interlocutor. The opportunity to engage him quietly, behind the scenes, is welcome,” said Henle, now director of the Carnegie China think tank.

Although Burns is widely regarded as one of the most trusted figures in the US government, his departure continues a tradition of CIA directors being tapped for classified assignments, the FT said.

The US has tried to postpone a visit to China that Secretary of State Anthony Blinken abruptly canceled due to the hot-air balloon incident, but Beijing has so far refused to give the go-ahead. China’s Defense Minister Li Shangfu also pulled out of a meeting with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Singapore this weekend after Washington refused to lift sanctions on him. Both are participating in the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference, where they will deliver speeches. Although the two ministers were not expected to meet formally, the Pentagon said they “spoke briefly” at the opening of a forum organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies. “The two leaders shook hands, but did not exchange significant remarks,” the Pentagon said.