WASHINGTON (NewsNation Now) — The U.S. Senate backed veteran diplomat William Burns on Thursday to become President Joe Biden’s Central Intelligence Agency director.

The Senate voted by unanimous consent, without objection, to approve Burns, a former ambassador to Russia and former deputy secretary of state, to lead the agency.

At a confirmation hearing last month, Burns said he saw competition with China — and countering its “adversarial, predatory” leadership — as a key to U.S. national security.

Under questioning, Burns said if he were a U.S. college or university president, he would recommend shutting down Confucius Institutes — Beijing-funded campus cultural centers that many members of Congress see as propaganda tools.

“After meeting with Ambassador Burns, I believe he understands the nature of the Chinese threat and the others facing our nation,” the committee’s top Republican, Sen. Marco Rubio, said in a statement.

At his hearing, Burns told the panel that other “familiar” persistent threats include those presented by Russia, North Korea and Iran. He also cited climate change, global health issues and cyber threats as serious risks.

Reuters contributed to this report; all reporting by Mark Hosenball and Patricia Zengerle