U.S. political “dysfunction” is hampering the country’s options to exploit Chinese President Xi Jinping’s vulnerabilities, according to the CIA chief.

“Even with all its ambition, even with all its expanding capabilities, and a really serious military modernization program, [China]’s not 10 feet tall,” CIA director Bill Burns said this week at the George W. Bush Presidential Center. “If we can get our own act together in this country, not just in terms of the economy, but in terms of our political system, overcome some of our own dysfunction sometimes, there’s every reason to think we have a better hand to play than the People’s Republic of China does today.”

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