CIA director made unannounced trip to Beijing last month – Axios

Burns arrives to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee in March. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty ImagesCIA 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
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