Nicholas Burns

.@dimi asks about continuity between the Biden and Trump administrations. @RNicholasBurns shares three shared beliefs: 1. China is a major trade disruptor. 2. The relationship between the U.S. and China is competitive and tech is going to be at the center. 3. Fentanyl is a major…

.@RNicholasBurns to @dimi: "Here’s the kicker: We have to raise our game. There is a global competition with China, not just regional. Part of this is how we win the battle of ideas...I think we have not taken this global threat seriously enough and the Chinese are strengthening…

"The Trump administration has a very good ambassador [to China], David Perdue," said @RNicholasBurns of his successor. "I spoke to him at great lengths. I supported him. I think he's going to do a really good job. We need that."

.@MarkWarner invokes @RNicholasBurns' point: "Every time we move out...China and Russia are moving in." Sen Warner discusses the impact of nations around the world questioning whether the U.S. is a reliable partner, with Spain last week picking Huawei to manage intelligence…

On the dismantling of USAID, @ChrisCoons says, "The Chinese have moved in...[But] they will never replace [the U.S.] as a humanitarian donor."

Appreciated the rich discussions at the Aspen Security Forum this year. Excellent opportunity to exchange views on global challenges, engage with sharp minds, and reconnect with old friends.

Introducing "A Conversation on the Middle East," a discussion with @KimGhattas, Gen David Petraeus, and @IgnatiusPost, @RNicholasBurns sets the scope: zooming out to examine the implications of recent events in the Middle East for the region. The key question for the panel:…

Honored to host #Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan to ⁦@AspenSecurity⁩ Forum in the beautiful Rocky Mountains.

Timely conversation at @AspenSecurity on the frontlines and fault lines of Russia and Ukraine. Powerful reminder from Secretary @CondoleezzaRice: “What makes America different...is that we have led not just with power, but we have led with principle." #AspenSecurity

“Logic and self-interest will push China and the United States towards a trade deal,” fmr US Amb to China @RNicholasBurns tells me. “I would hope it would be this autumn. Why do I say that? China needs continued access to the United States as its largest export market…The United…

.@RNicholasBurns highlights the importance of discussing trade and economics at the #AspenSecurity Forum: “It’s at the center of global politics this year, it's the focal point of President Trump's first six months…It’s always at the center of China’s global strategy.”

.@RNicholasBurns reminds #AspenSecurity Forum attendees that Iran is at its "weakest point in well over 45 years" while Israel is at its "strongest point in well over 45 years." He says, "Both of these facts are good for American strategic interests."

About resolution to the conflict in Ukraine, @CondoleezzaRice says we will know more in several months. A ceasefire or freezing of the conflict, she says, is more likely than a negotiated settlement. "Whatever happens, don't recognize Russian sovereignty over what is conquered…

"The United States and Europe have finally aligned around the idea that Vladimir Putin will not be stopped with words," says @CondoleezzaRice. He will not stop until he can "go no further, he can win no further, and then maybe he will decide that he has done enough and he can…

"I just want to say first to the Ukrainian people that their bravery and their toughness and their perseverance to see a free Ukraine has inspired the world," @CondoleezzaRice says onstage at the #AspenSecurity Forum.

.@RNicholasBurns says President George H. W. Bush left Europe whole, free, and at peace at the end of the Cold War. Now, Putin is threatening that "free, peaceful, and democratic Europe."

I said at the start of this @AspenSecurity Forum panel: Israel is in its strongest position in the Middle East since its birth in 1948 and Iran is in its weakest position in four decades. Both of these trendlines are positive for the United States.

A brilliant presentation by #Singapore Minister of Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan—thoughtful, highly substantive on behalf of a country that punches well above its weight globally. @AspenSecurityForum

.@RNicholasBurns at @AspenSecurity: “Israel’s in the strongest geopolitical position it’s ever been in, after the extraordinary events in Lebanon, in Gaza, in Iran, in Syria over the last two years.” @marcrod97 jewishinsider.com/2025/07/nichol…

“We tried to cooperate, but the consensus is: live in peace with China but compete with China,” said fmr US Amb to China @RNicholasBurns, before adding that he came back from his posting in Beijing “more hawkish.” @AspenSecurity