WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd June, 2023) CIA Director Bill Burns made a secret visit to Beijing last month in an attempt to repair US-China ties, signaling the Biden administration's interest in stabilizing bilateral relations, the Financial Times reported on Friday.
Burns, a former diplomat, is reported to have met with Chinese intelligence officials during his visit, the report said.
While it is common for the CIA director to be dispatched on sensitive missions, Burns was selected for the trip in part because of the respect both Democrats and Republicans have for him, the report said.
The trip marks the highest-level visit to China by a senior US official since Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman visited Tianjin in 2021.
Tensions with China further increased in February of this year when an alleged Chinese spy balloon traversed over the continental United States before being shot down by the US military over the Atlantic Ocean.
The Biden administration has voiced its interest in rescheduling Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to China, which was canceled in the wake of the balloon incident, but Beijing has so far not responded.
