Burns to be Washington's envoy in Beijing

Former career diplomat Nicholas Burns won approval from the United States Senate on Thursday to become the country's next ambassador to China, filling a front-line post which has been vacant for over a year amid ongoing tensions between the two countries.

Burns, 65, is a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School and had served in the US government for 27 years in various posts. He was nominated by US President Joe Biden in August.

"If there's a place that we need an ambassador, it's China," Senator Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat who chairs the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said before the confirmation vote. The final US Senate vote was 75-18.

Senator James Risch of Idaho, the top Republican on the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said: "If you're looking for a bipartisan person to put in a position, this is your guy. We've got a lot of issues that exist between us and China and, certainly, Ambassador Burns is the one to carry our water there."

As a veteran diplomat, Burns has the ability and experience to harness and deal with the complex and delicate Sino-US relationship which is facing a turning point, said Li Haidong, a professor of US studies at China Foreign Affairs University.

In a virtual meeting between President Xi Jinping and Biden in November, the US leader said he expects to set "guardrails" on the relationship between the US and China, seeking to prevent "stiff competition" from spiraling into conflict.

Burns, who has enjoyed bipartisan support, is professional in coping with crises, Li said, adding that he has been active in policymaking circles in the US even after he left the government in 2008.

"We expect him to use his experience, vision and personal connections to build effective communication channels between Beijing and Washington to manage competition, promote cooperation and avoid bilateral ties getting out of control," he said.

At the same time, he added, Burns' role cannot be exaggerated as bilateral relations are complex and an ambassador's duty is to implement rather than make foreign policy.

As a diplomat with political savvy, Burns could play his role in conveying the voice of China and avoid misjudgments, said Su Xiaohui, deputy director of the China Institute of International Studies' Department of American Studies.

But Su added she would not expect too much from the new US envoy.

In testifying before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee in October, Burns made harsh remarks criticizing China's policies in relation to Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

China will not change its approach in terms of safeguarding its national interests when engaging with the US, Su said.