US SPOOKS are considering the establishment of a new “mission centre for China,” the Bloomberg news channel reported on Friday, as Washington escalates its new cold war.

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is reported to be reviewing its China capabilities as the US fears the growing influence of Beijing on the global arena.

Director William Burns has made China one of his top priorities, according to the CIA website, as the spy agency seeks additional funds for its strategic operations.

He wants to deploy China specialists around the world, following the approach used to counter Soviet influence in the cold war.

At a Senate hearing in February, Mr Burns warned that China’s “adversarial, predatory leadership” is the biggest threat to the US, claiming that Beijing’s goal is to “replace the United States as the world’s most powerful and influential nation.”

“For CIA, that will mean intensified focus and urgency, continually strengthening its already impressive cadre of China specialists, expanding its language skills, aligning personnel and resource allocation for the long haul,” he said.

The US has intensified hostile measures against China, mobilising warships and military hardware to the South China Sea and Taiwan while conducting crude propaganda operations to sway public opinion.

Beijing has frequently warned the US against breaches of its sovereignty and meddling in its domestic affairs, accusing Washington of stoking anti-China sentiment in Hong Kong and fabricating allegations of a genocide of Uighur people in the Xinjiang Uighur autonomous region.