CIA director secretly flew to China to mend relations with US: FT

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
2 Jun 2023 21:31

The report is of relevance as it points out that the Biden administration is showing an interest in the restoring of bilateral relations with Beijing.

In this May 24, 2011 file photo, William Burns testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on his nomination to be Deputy Secretary of State. (AFP)

The Financial Times issued a report on Friday detailing that CIA Director Bill Burns secretly flew to Beijing in May in an attempt to repair US-China relations.

The report is of relevance as it points out that the Biden administration is showing an interest in the restoration of bilateral relations with Beijing.

According to the report, Burns met with several Chinese intelligence officials during his trip.

It added that the former diplomat is frequently assigned to conduct sensitive missions, but Burns was particularly selected for the task in part because of his good reputation both Democrats and Republicans hold in his regard.

The last time a high-level visit of a US senior official to China occurred was in 2021 with Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman's visit to Tianjin.

Tensions have been at an all-time high since the US sent its former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to visit Taiwan last year. The situation deteriorated further after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen made a provocative visit to the US and met with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in April, prompting China to condemn the talks and stage three days of military drills around Taiwan.

On May 31, the United States urged Beijing to agree to "open lines of communications" after a Chinese fighter jet intercepted a US aircraft in the South China Sea on May 26.

The US military said a Chinese jet conducted an "aggressive maneuver" near a US spy aircraft, while Beijing stated that the "provocation" carried out by the United States is to blame.

“The United States’ long-term and frequent sending of ships and planes to conduct close surveillance on China seriously harm China’s national sovereignty and security,” China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said on Wednesday.

“This kind of provocative, dangerous activity is the cause of the security issues on the seas. China will continue to take all necessary steps to resolutely protect its own sovereignty and security,” Mao added.