Burns is playing down speculation that Chinese president Xi Jinping could move onto the island after a key Communist party meeting, which is scheduled for later this year.
“I suspect the lesson that the Chinese leadership and military are drawing is that you’ve got to amass overwhelming force if you’re going to contemplate that in the future,” he says.
The CIA has also reportedly seen China stepping up its purchases of Russian energy. However, Beijing is being careful about not experiencing any western sanctions.