CIA Director Bill Burns’ secret trip to China in May

CIA Director Bill Burns secretly traveled to China last monthAccording to what was revealed financial times This evening, within the efforts of the United States to restore relations with Beijing after a year of high tensions.

Burns’ visit comes as the United States has repeatedly said so Washington is trying to reduce tensions with BeijingEspecially after Spy balloon incident Earlier this year, it inflamed bilateral relations and prompted Secretary of State Antony Blinken to postpone a planned trip to China.

Burns is said to have met with his Chinese counterparts to stress the importance of keeping lines of communication open in the intelligence channels. the burn trip It is the high-level visit by a US official so far: in the background is perhaps the Ukraine issue, perhaps the thorny issue of Taiwan, a more sensitive issue related to the intelligence operations of the two countries.

More US officials have met with Chinese officials in recent weeks. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met with senior Chinese official Wang Yi in Vienna for “frank” and “constructive” talks in mid-May. US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and US Trade Representative Catherine Tai met with Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao last week.

President Biden In the past, he has repeatedly asked the CIA director to carry out sensitive missions, at home and abroad: suffice it to recall that in November 2021 Burns went to Moscow to warn Russian officials against invading Ukraine.

Last month Biden He said he expected an imminent “thaw” in relations, without giving any details, although Burns had traveled to China before Biden made the comment at the summit. G7 in Hiroshima.