Secret trip of the head of CIA to China with the aim of reducing the tension between Washington and Beijing.
According to the Independent, the Financial Times reported in a report that William Burns, the head of the CIA, went on a secret trip last month in order to reduce the tension between Washington and Beijing over the Chinese research balloon incident and some other disputes between these two economic and geopolitical rivals. He went to China and met with his counterparts.
According to the Financial Times, Burns’ secret trip is the first trip by a senior Joe Biden administration official to China since the downing of the Beijing research balloon by the US Air Force.
An American official, who did not want to be named, said about Burns’ trip, which is classified information: Burns went to Beijing last month and met with Chinese counterparts and emphasized the importance of maintaining communication lines and information channels.
In this regard, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is said to have had a “brief” conversation with Li Shangfu, his Chinese counterpart, on the sidelines of a security summit in Singapore. However, the United States announced earlier this week that Shangfu, which is on Washington’s sanctions list, refused to meet with Austin on the sidelines of the annual Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry also emphasized that Washington should reform its policies towards China and stop interfering in Beijing’s internal affairs.
The Financial Times wrote that US President Joe Biden often sends Burns on sensitive trips to meet so-called “America’s enemies”. The head of the CIA also traveled to Russia in late 2021 to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and discuss Moscow’s decision to prepare a new attack on Ukraine.
