CIA Director William Burns on Thursday said that Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) ambitions toward Taiwan should not be underestimated, despite him likely being sobered by the performance of Russia’s military in Ukraine.
Burns said that the US knew “as a matter of intelligence” that Xi had ordered his military to be ready to conduct an invasion of Taiwan by 2027.
“Now, that does not mean that he’s decided to conduct an invasion in 2027, or any other year, but it’s a reminder of the seriousness of his focus and his ambition,” Burns told an event at Georgetown University in Washington.
Photo: AFP
“Our assessment at CIA is that I wouldn’t underestimate President Xi’s ambitions with regard to Taiwan,” he said, adding that the Chinese leader was likely “surprised and unsettled,” and trying to draw lessons by the “very poor performance” of the Russian military and its weapons systems in Ukraine.
Russia and China in February last year signed a “no limits” partnership shortly before Russian forces invaded Ukraine, and their economic links have boomed as Russia’s connections with the West have shriveled.
The Russian invasion had fueled concerns in the West of China possibly making a similar move on Taiwan.
China has refrained from condemning Russia’s operation against Ukraine, but it has been careful not to provide the sort of direct material support that could provoke Western sanctions like those imposed on Moscow.
“I think it’s a mistake to underestimate the mutual commitment to that partnership, but it’s not a friendship totally without limits,” Burns said.
He said that the next six months would be “critical” for Ukraine, where Moscow has been making incremental gains in the past few weeks.
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