(Reuters) – U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns said on Saturday that Beijing is closely monitoring Russia’s conflict in Ukraine and that it is affecting China’s calculations over Taiwan.
Burns, who was speaking at a Financial Times event in Washington, said Chinese government leadership has been struck by Ukraine’s fierce resistance to Russia’s invasion and by the economic costs Russia is bearing. “These are things that they’re weighing very carefully,” Burns said.
He cautioned, however, that it would not shift China’s long-term goals.
“I don’t for a minute think that this has eroded Beijing’s determination over time to gain control over Taiwan,” said Burns. “But I think it’s something that’s affecting their calculation about how and when they go about doing that.”
(Reporting by Michael Martina and Christopher Bing in Washington; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Matthew Lewis)
