CIA weighs creating special China unit in bid to out-spy Beijing
- A proposed independent Mission Centre for China would elevate the focus on the United States’ top strategic rival
- CIA Director William Burns is conducting a broader review of the intelligence agency’s China capabilities
The Central Intelligence Agency is weighing proposals to create an independent “Mission Centre for China” in an escalation of its efforts to gain greater insight into the United States’ top strategic rival, according to people familiar with the deliberations.
The proposal, part of a broader review of the agency’s China capabilities by CIA Director William Burns, would elevate the focus on China within the agency, where China has long been part of a broader “Mission Centre for East Asia and Pacific”.
Mission centers are stand-alone entities that utilise resources from across the CIA in line with agency priorities. In the intelligence bureaucracy, a separate China centre would make it easier to secure headcount, funding and high-level attention for China-related activities, according to three current and former officials who spoke about the internal deliberations on condition of anonymity.
Existing mission centres include those for counter-intelligence, counterterrorism and the Near East.
“As Director Burns has said, China is one of his priorities, and CIA is in the process of determining how best to position ourselves to reflect the significance of this priority,” the CIA said in a statement.