FT-CIA Head Visited China In Effort To Stabilise Relations

The Financial Times reports that CIA Director William Burns visited China in May on a clandestine visit intended to stabilise relations between Washington, D.C., and Beijing. FT: "Five people familiar with the situation said Burns, a former top diplomat who is frequently entrusted with delicate overseas missions, travelled to China for talks with officials. The visit, the most senior to China by a Biden administration official, comes as Washington pushes for high-level engagements with Beijing to try to stabilise the relationship."

• In April, MNI's Political Risk team wrote on what were then nascent signs that there could be an improvement in relations (see 'US & China Offer Signs Of Thaw', 27 Apr).
• The visit of Burns will be seen as a first, small, precursor to the potential for higher-level meetings potentially between Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Foreign Minister Qin Gang. The previous meeting between the two was cancelled over the 'spy balloon' incident in early 2023.
• A major geopolitical focus on US-China relations remains on whether China can prove a reliable interlocutor between Russia and Ukraine regarding the prospect of peace talks. Earlier today, Blinken saidthat China's involvement would be welcomed if it led to a 'just and lasting peace'.