<p>He told the Senate Intelligence Committee that his career in the Middle East and Russia made him appreciate the value of untainted intelligence.<br/></p><p>"I learned that good intelligence, delivered with honesty and integrity, is America's first line of defense," he told the panel.</p><p>"I learned that intelligence professionals have to tell policymakers what they need to hear, even if they don't want to hear it. And I learned that politics must stop where intelligence work begins."</p><p>He said Biden stressed that "he wants the agency to give it to him straight."</p><p>"And I pledged to do just that, and to defend those who do the same."</p><p>Burns also told the panel that China was the main challenge the country faces, echoing views stated by Biden and other top officials of his administration.</p><p>"Out-competing China will be key to our national security in the decades ahead. That will require a long-term, clear-eyed, bipartisan strategy, underpinned by domestic renewal and solid intelligence," he said.</p><p>He said that while in some areas, like nuclear non-proliferation, the United States can cooperate with Beijing, it is nevertheless "a formidable, authoritarian adversary."</p><p>The CIA in particular has faced challenges, with China having recruited a number of US diplomats and spies over recent years and also, starting a decade ago, bringing down the CIA's own network of informants in the country.</p><p>Burns also stressed in a statement to the hearing that the fight for technological superiority in espionage, including the use of artificial intelligence, will also be a key part of his mission. </p><p>Until his nomination Burns was president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a leading Washington foreign policy think-tank.</p><p>If approved as expected by the Senate, Burns will be the first career diplomat to lead the CIA. </p><p>But he has deep experience in security and intelligence matters after spending over three decades in the US foreign service, including a stint as ambassador to Russia from 2005-2008. </p>
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