"Out-competing China will be key to our national security in the days ahead," Burns said at his confirmation hearing.
He called China "a formidable, authoritarian adversary," that is strengthening its ability to steal intellectual property, repress its people, expand its reach and build influence within the United States.
President-elect Joe Biden announced former Deputy Secretary of State William Burns as his nominee for Director of the CIA.
Burns, a career diplomat who served in the United States Foreign Service for over three decades, has served in numerous national security positions across five Democratic and Republican administrations.
