The Biden government wants to fill the role with someone who has extensive diplomatic experience and Burns meets those criteria, the sources said, but noted that announcements about any nomination of an ambassador are likely to be far away.
Diplomats and regional experts emphasized the importance of any person appointed as ambassador being perceived as having an influence on President Joe Biden.
“I think the most important thing for an ambassador is to have a good relationship with the president and to have some ability to communicate directly with the president and the key people around him,” said Bonnie Glaser, senior Asia advisor and director China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
“It is important for the person to have access to Xi Jinping as well,” she added.
In addition to deciding on an envoy to China, the government must also fill the many other vacancies in the diplomatic corps, where career officials have been denigrated and examined by the Trump administration.
Among those being considered for other ambassadorial positions are ex-mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, for Japan; Biden’s former national security adviser, Julie Smith of NATO; ex-Rep. Jane Harman from France; and former ambassador Mark Gitenstein to the European Union.
Blinken emphasized the importance of career diplomats
Blinken spoke of the importance of career diplomats and the need to reinvigorate US diplomacy. There is an expectation that Biden will return to a more traditional mix of political and career nominees for ambassadorial positions – a change from the previous administration that relied heavily on political choices, some of which were unqualified.
“I am determined to put our career people in positions of responsibility and leadership, and I am absolutely determined that politics will not enter this building,” Blinken told NBC News in early February.
A US diplomat told CNN: “What we are hearing is a consistent commitment that there will be fewer political nominations than Trump … and a commitment that everyone will be qualified and that people will not be nominated just because they are donors.” They added that they hope that some donors will be chosen.
But Biden’s team may still be weeks away from making any announcement about the ambassador’s choices, the sources said. They intend to announce the rest of the top State Department posts before becoming ambassadors, said an American diplomat and a source familiar with the discussions.
Last week, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden had not received a memo to make any decision on ambassadors. She also said she is not sure whether the Biden government will appoint an ambassador by March.
Until decisions are made about political ambassadors, career ambassadors cannot take office.
“The State Department needs the White House to tell them which ambassadors will be filled by politicians and which states they can occupy with professionals,” the US diplomat told CNN. “And until the White House personnel office sends that list to Secretary Blinken, there is no possibility of increasing the names.”
CNN contacted the State Department and the White House for comment.
This story was updated with additional reports on Wednesday.