25 Feb 2021 / 19:11 H.
(Adds China foreign ministry comment)
By Patricia Zengerle and Mark Hosenball
WASHINGTON, Feb 24 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden s nominee to be director of the CIA, William Burns, told a Senate committee on Wednesday that he saw competition with China - and countering its adversarial, predatory leadership - as the key to U.S. national security.
Burns, 64, a former career diplomat during both Democratic and Republican administrations, is expected to easily win confirmation to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Burns has already been confirmed by the Senate five times for his stints as ambassador to Jordan and Russia and three senior State Department positions.
President Joe Biden's nominee to be director of the CIA, William Burns, told a Senate committee on Wednesday that he saw competition with China - and countering its "adversarial, predatory" leadership - as the key to U.S. national security.