The chief of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) said that China seems bent on attacking Taiwan, with Beijing's estimates of how and when to invade being influenced by Russia's experience in Ukraine.
Central Intelligence Agency Director Bill Burns said on Wednesday that China probably realized in the Russia-Ukraine War that "you don't achieve quick, decisive victories with underwhelming force".
Taiwan is a self-governing region that was created in 1948 by nationalists who had lost power to communists during the country's civil war. China claims this territory is a part of the nation and has not ruled out using force to annex the island, per Al Jazeera.
China's Attack on Taiwan Is Imminent
Speaking at the Aspen Security Forum, Burns claimed that China was "unsettled" with Russia's five-month war in Ukraine. Burns called President Vladimir Putin's failure to overthrow the Kyiv administration within a week a "strategic failure" on the Russian leader's part.
Billy Burns claimed that the CIA senses that it probably affects less the question of whether the Chinese leadership might choose some years down the road to use force to control Taiwan, but how and when they would do it.
"I suspect the lesson that the Chinese leadership and military are drawing is that you've got to amass overwhelming force if you're going to contemplate that in the future," he said.
Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Bill Burns downplayed rumors that Chinese President Xi Jinping might invade Taiwan following a significant Communist party meeting later this year.
Burns "wouldn't underestimate President Xi's willingness to exert China's rule" over independent Taiwan, as per a report from The Guardian. "The risks of that appear to us to increase larger the further into this decade that you get," he added.
Burns' remarks came after US President Joe Biden announced plans for a call with President Xi Jinping, the first between the two leaders in four months, despite ongoing tension between Washington and Beijing over some topics, including China Taiwan conflict.
"I think I'll be talking to President Xi within the next 10 days," Biden told reporters as he returned from the state of Massachusetts.
Beijing Seems Careful in Taking Steps
The necessity to "control the information space" and to "do everything you can to shore up your economy against the threat of sanctions" are likely other lessons Beijing has likely learned.
CIA Chief Burns stated that despite rhetorical support, the US does not believe Beijing is providing military assistance to Russia. This is consistent with earlier US assessments.
He claimed that China has increased its purchases of Russian energy but is being cautious to avoid coming under western sanctions.
Taiwanese citizens see the island as an independent, self-governing state with its military, in contrast to the Chinese government's contention that Taiwan is a "renegade province" that is a portion of its territory.
After Putin invaded Ukraine in February, many analysts and politicians, including former President Donald Trump, predicted that China would launch a military attack on Taiwan. According to Insider, the Taiwanese are presently practicing urban warfare to fortify their fortifications in advance of a future Chinese invasion.
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