Putin's Botched War Has Fueled Doubts About Xi Jinping's Ability To Invade Taiwan: CIA Chief

America's top intelligence official said Vladimir Putin's botched war in Ukraine had fueled doubts by Chinese President Xi Jinping that China's military could successfully invade Taiwan. 

What Happened: The Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns said there appear to be doubts in China about the People’s Liberation Army’s ability to invade the island nation, where it claims sovereignty successfully.

"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 told CBS on Sunday.

"As they've looked at Putin's experience in Ukraine, that's probably reinforced some of those doubts."

However, Burns warned that the U.S. is taking the threat of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan seriously and the risk of a conflict is likely to grow further into the decade and beyond.

Although U.S. officials have repeatedly warned that China may invade Taipei as soon as 2027, Burns said that goal isn't set in stone. "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," he said.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he wanted to meet with his Chinese counterpart to discuss Beijing’s 12-point proposal for ending the Russia-Ukraine War.

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