The Chinese president instructs the army to prepare for an invasion of Taiwan in 2027
CIA Director William Burns said that his country’s intelligence reports indicate that Chinese President Xi Jinping has instructed the army to prepare to invade Taiwan by 2027.
In a televised interview broadcast Sunday, Burns stressed the need for the United States to take Xi’s desire to take over Taiwan very seriously, even if military conflict isn’t the inevitable outcome.
“We know that President Xi instructed the People’s Liberation Army to prepare to invade Taiwan by 2027, but that doesn’t mean he decided to launch the invasion in 2027 or any year,” Burns said in an interview with CBS.
He continued, “I think our judgment is at least that President Xi and his military leadership have doubts today about the possibility of success of that invasion”.
Burns said the support of the United States and European allies for Ukraine in the aftermath of Russia’s special military operation could serve as a potential deterrent to Chinese officials for now, but said the risks of a possible attack on Taiwan would be more powerful.
