The CIA is reorganizing to put a more emphasized focus on China, the agency’s director announced Thursday.
The spy agency’s restructuring will include the creation of a new China Mission Center, aimed at bringing more resources to study the rival country and better position CIA officers to collect information and analyze the country’s activities, Just the News reports.
The China Mission Center "will further strengthen our collective work on the most important geopolitical threat we face in the 21st century, an increasingly adversarial Chinese government," CIA Director William Burns said in a statement on Thursday.
The other major focus of the reorganization will be on emerging technology, climate change and global health.
Additionally, the agency will establish a new chief technology officer position and launch a “Technology Fellows” program to bring in specialized talent, CBS News reports.
“Throughout our history, CIA has stepped up to meet whatever challenges come our way,” Burns said, “and now facing our toughest geopolitical test in a new era of great power rivalry, CIA will be at the forefront of this effort.”
“There’s no doubt we have the talent for the job,” he continued. “And with the right approach, and the right structure in place, I know we’ll help ensure American leadership and American success on the global stage for decades to come.”