(Washington) China is learning lessons from Russia’s war in Ukraine that make it ready to use force against Taiwan, the CIA chief said Wednesday.
Posted yesterday at 7:50 p.m.
“It seems to us that [la guerre en Ukraine vue par Pékin] does not really affect the question of whether Chinese leaders might choose to use force against Taiwan in the next few years, but when and how will they do so,” said the head of the American intelligence agency Bill Burns.
Guest of the Aspen Security Forum, in the United States, he nevertheless put into perspective the risks of President Xi Jinping taking action by the end of the year on Taiwan, while some believe possible. such an outbreak after an important meeting of the ruling Communist Party.
“Such risks seem to us to be growing over the decade,” he said.
Beijing is probably “troubled” watching the war in Ukraine, the agency’s boss analyzed, calling it a “strategic failure” for Vladimir Putin who thought he could overthrow Kyiv in a week.
Mr. Burns believes that Beijing saw it as proof “that you don’t achieve quick, decisive victories” without throwing sufficient military weight into the battle.
“I think the lesson that Chinese leaders and the military are learning is that it is necessary to bring together a largely dominant force” to win, he said again, also specifying the importance of “control of space informational” and preparedness for potential economic sanctions.
The head of the CIA also considered, in line with previous statements from Washington, that China, despite its verbal support, does not provide military support to Russia in its war in Ukraine.
The United States is concerned about Beijing’s increased military pressure in recent years against Taiwan, a democratic island that China considers part of its territory and has vowed to take back one day.
Earlier at the same Forum in Aspen, in the Rocky Mountains, the Chinese ambassador to the United States said that Beijing still supports “peaceful reunification”.
“No conflict, no war: this is the most important consensus between China and the United States”, underlined Qin Gang, who however said he regretted that the United States “erased” gradually from its policy. unique recognition of Beijing.
“Only by strictly following the one-China policy, uniting to oppose Taiwan independence, can we have peaceful reunification,” he added.
US President Joe Biden had angered Beijing by saying on May 23 that the United States would militarily defend Taiwan in the event of an invasion by Communist China, before backtracking the next day and declaring that “strategic ambiguity the deliberately vague concept that has governed Washington’s Taiwanese policy for decades, remained unchanged.
Joe Biden told reporters on Wednesday that he “expects” to speak with President Xi Jinping “in the next ten days. »