On Sunday, CIA Director William Burns went on CBS' Face the Nation and said that Chinese leader Xi Jinping has "doubts" he could successfully invade Taiwan after he has told his military to "be ready by 2027" to invade the island nation on February 2.
"We do know, as has been made public, that President Xi has instructed the PLA, the Chinese military leadership, to be ready by 2027 to invade Taiwan, but that doesn’t mean that he's decided to invade in 2027 or any other year as well," Burns said. "I think our judgment at least is that President Xi and his military leadership have doubts today about whether they could accomplish that invasion."
Burns added, "I think, as they've looked at Putin's experience in Ukraine, that's probably reinforced some of those doubts. So, all I would say is that I think the risks of, you know, a potential use of force probably grow the further into this decade you get and beyond it, into the following decade as well."
"So that's something obviously, that we watch very, very carefully," Burns said.
Taiwan broke off from mainland China in 1949 when Communist leader Mao Zedong formed the People's Republic of China.
The US, throughout the 50s, 60s, and 70s, did not create diplomatic ties with Communist China until 1979 when Jimmy Carter officially opened up ties with the country, under the condition that the US adhere to the one China policy, which dictates the US accept that Taiwan is part of a unified People's Republic of China.
Taiwanese leaders have maintained since 1949 that they are their own country, the Republic of China, and were never a part of Mao Zedong's revolution.
As The Post Millennial has reported, Joe Biden has said on multiple occasions he would defend Taiwan "militarily" if China were to invade.
In January, Chinese military force, the People's Liberation Army, began combat drills in the "waters" and "aerial areas" around Taiwan. Tensions in the region have been rising as last year former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan on August 2 despite warnings from China that it could be considered an act of aggression. Chinese President Xi Jinping told Joe Biden directly that Pelosi shouldn't visit Taiwan and said "those who play with fire will only get burnt."
Earlier in February, China’s Foreign Ministry said that Biden's downing of the Chinese surveillance balloon in the Atlantic Ocean after it traversed a large portion of the continental United States was an "overreaction and a serious violation of international practice."
