The CIA wants a physical seat at the table because they’re worried about what Joe might say or do in his dementia, at a Cabinet meeting.
They probably have him covered at public events already.
With someone like Joe, the CIA almost certainly has taken the precaution of putting a waiting assassin in his protective detail for public events. The assassin is waiting for a special signal which would be sent if Joe goes wildly off-script and starts spilling certain information on a hot mic.
The CIA has techniques for “programming” high-functioning people to sacrifice themselves for a mission. Oswald and Ruby are two high-profile examples.
Even if the assassin failed and was intercepted by other agents, he would still succeed in the main mission, by making Joe stop talking.
China wants a seat at the table. He gets named right after Blinken and friends get back from Beijing?
No coincidence.
Burns’ former nonprofit the Carnegie Endowment has links to Tshinghua University in Beijing.