October 21, 2021—Unlike the competition with the Soviet Union during the Cold War, the U.S. competition with China today “spans virtually every domain there is,” CIA Director William Burns said on Wednesday. It is not just in a military sphere where the two largest economies compete, it is in the technological, social and political spaces as well. And as that competition mounts, the agency is preparing to track it with a division devoted to China.
Burns spoke with students and faculty at an in-person event held by Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. The center also streamed the event.
A Multi-Power World
The challenge of gathering intelligence today, Burns said, is that now “power is diffuse” with non-state actors like technology companies and terror networks taking part in the sphere of influence.
Asked about Iran and the possibility of restarting a multiparty agreement like the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Burns said it is “challenging” because Iranian actions pose “huge threats” the U.S. interests.
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