CIA director Bill Burns made an unannounced trip to China last month, a U.S. official confirmed to Axios.
Why it matters: The trip to Beijing, which was first reported by the FT, was part of the administration's efforts to stabilize relations after February's spy balloon incident.
- "Last month, Director Burns traveled to Beijing where he met with Chinese counterparts and emphasized the importance of maintaining open lines of communication in intelligence channels," the U.S. official said.
- National security adviser Jake Sullivan undertook a similar mission last month when he traveled to Vienna to meet Beijing's top diplomat, Wang Yi, though the White House announced that meeting at the time.
State of play: While both sides have expressed a desire to keep relations from deteriorating further, Beijing blames Washington for their current state and has declined multiple requests for high-level meetings.
- Secretary of State Tony Blinken's planned trip to Beijing has still not been rescheduled, and Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu declined to meet his U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin in Singapore — though the fact that Li is under U.S. sanctions might have been a factor.
- Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo did meet her counterpart Wang Wentao last week, marking the first visit by a top Chinese official to Washington since 2020.
The big picture: Burns, who had a distinguished career in the State Department before being tapped to lead the CIA, has been repeatedly dispatched by President Biden on delicate diplomatic missions.
- Burns traveled to Moscow before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and Brazil when then-President Jair Bolsonaro was threatening to reject the results of upcoming elections.
