Her manager C.I.A William Burns warns that Xi Jinping’s “ambition” should not be underestimated Taiwandespite the fact that as its president said China has been troubled by the how Russia’s military fared in Ukraine.

Burns said the U.S. “knows,” through “intelligence gathering” that Xi has ordered the Chinese military to be ready. to invade Taiwan by 2027.

“This does not mean that he has decided to order an invasion in 2027, or any other year, but it is a reminder of how serious his focus and ambition aresaid the CIA director, speaking at a foreign policy event at Georgetown University.

“Our assessment at the CIA is that President Xi’s ambitions regarding Taiwan should not be underestimated,” he insisted, adding that the Chinese leader was “surprised and upset” and is trying to learn from the “very poor performance” of the Russian military and of the weapon systems of the war in Ukraine.

As APE-MPE reminds, Russia and China signed an agreement to enter into a “borderless” partnership in February 2022, shortly before the Russian armed forces invaded Ukraine. Trade ties between the two states are flourishing, although Russia’s relations with the West continue to deteriorate.

The Russian invasion heightened concerns in the West that China could try to take over Taiwan, an island of 23 million with its own government, which Beijing considers its own territory.

The Chinese government has studiously avoided condemning the Russian invasion, but is careful not to offer material support to Moscow that would trigger Western sanctions.

“I think it would be a mistake to underestimate the mutual commitment in this partnership, but this is not a friendship that has no boundaries,” Burns noted.

As Burns spoke, Pentagon says Chinese spy balloon flies at high altitude over sensitive US military facilitiesbut it was decided not to shoot it down because the debris could cause casualties or damage.

Burns did not comment on the incident, however he called China the “biggest geopolitical challenge” for the US.

“The competition with China is unique in scale, and it’s starting to unfold, you know, in almost every field, not just military and ideological, but also economic, and technological, from cyberspace to the very space. It’s global competition in everything,” and “it may become even more intense than the competition with the Soviets was,” he insisted.

There has been no response at this stage from the Chinese embassy in Washington to Burns’ placement, nor to the Pentagon’s announcements about the spy balloon.

Alongside, CIA Director Says US Intelligence Estimates Next Six Months Will Be “Critical” For Ukrainewhich is trying to fend off Russia’s military invasion of its territory that began almost a year ago on February 24, 2022.

Burns also emphasized that his government Iran she seems worried about the situation in the country and the courage of the “deprived” women.

For Middle Easternthe CIA director estimated that violence between Israel and the Palestinians may escalate again, expressing concern.