Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns visited China last month for talks with Chinese counterparts, a United States official said on Friday as Washington seeks to boost communications with Beijing.
“Last month, Director Burns travelled to Beijing where he met with Chinese counterparts and emphasised the importance of maintaining open lines of communication in intelligence channels,” the official told Reuters.
News of the visit by the head of the US intelligence agency, first reported by the Financial Times, comes as President Joe Biden’s administration has been pressing to maintain open lines and schedule meetings between various top officials in Washington and Beijing amid tense relations.
Burns, a veteran US diplomat before leading the CIA, has made dozens of sensitive overseas trips as head of the agency, including to hold talks with Russian counterparts, as well as the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The CIA, which does not regularly announce such visits, declined to comment on the China trip.—Reuters
