President Joe Biden’s intention to nominate Burns, who was undersecretary of state for political affairs, as U.S. ambassador to China is now in the final stages of review, according to exclusive information available to U.S. news site Axios. According to the report, because Biden’s National Security Council and the State Department pay close attention to China issues, the next U.S. ambassador to Beijing may not focus on the development of policy, but more on the implementation of policy.
The Central News Agency reported that Nicholas Burns, a professor at Harvard University and former State Department spokesman, served as undersecretary of state for political affairs during the Bush administration in the past.
On April 15, Burns said Europe made a “strategic mistake” in finalizing the investment agreement with China and advocated for “a more consolidated and united Europe, the United States and Japan to work together to deter China and compete with it.
The South China Morning Post reported that Burns made the remarks at a video political dialogue on “Stronger Together: A Strategy for Revitalizing Transatlantic Power” organized by the Brussels-based think tank European Policy Center.
Axios reported that the appointment of Burns to Beijing would underscore Biden’s preference for more experienced diplomats over heavyweight political figures. Looking back at the last four U.S. ambassadors to China, all have been retail politicians who have won state elections such as governor or U.S. Senate.
Axios reports that handling U.S.-China relations is the most critical and important issue of Biden’s presidency, and it is the consensus of the Biden administration that Burns will likely be among the first foreign service appointments in the coming weeks, given that everything from trade and economic disputes to Taiwan affairs are hot potatoes.
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