CIA Director's Secret Visit to China Amid Tensions

CIA Director William Burns visited China last month to improve communication between Beijing and Washington amid rising tensions. Burns met with Chinese intelligence officials and emphasised the importance of maintaining open lines of communication in intelligence channels. The visit comes as the Biden administration tries to restore communication and schedule meetings between top officials in Washington and Beijing. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also shook hands with China’s Minister of National Defence Li Shangfu on the sidelines of a security summit in Singapore, but the two did not have a substantive exchange.