CIA chief: China has some doubt on ability to invade Taiwan

By HOPE YEN
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The CIA director says U.S. intelligence shows that China’s President Xi Jinping has instructed his country’s military to “be ready by 2027” to invade Taiwan. But CIA Director William Burns also says Xi may be currently harboring doubts about his ability to make a move against Taiwan, given Russia’s experience in its war with Ukraine. Burns tells CBS’ “Face the Nation” that the U.S. must take “very seriously” Xi’s desire to ultimately control Taiwan, even if military conflict isn’t inevitable. Burns says the support from the U.S. and European allies for Ukraine may be acting as a potential deterrent to China for now, but the risks of a possible attack on Taiwan will only grow stronger in the coming years.