US Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns says Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered the military to be ready to conduct an invasion of Taiwan by 2027.

Burns was speaking at an event at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. on Thursday. He said the United States knows "as a matter of intelligence" that Xi issued the order to his country's military.

He added this does not mean the Chinese leader has decided to invade Taiwan in 2027 or some other year. He said it is a reminder that Xi is serious and focused on his ambitions. Burns said, "I wouldn't underestimate President Xi's ambitions with regard to Taiwan."

The director also said Xi is closely watching Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He said it is likely that the Chinese president is "unsettled" and "a little sobered" by the performance of the Russian military.

Xi is currently serving his third term as the ruling communist party's leader. The term will expire in 2027.

In 2021, a former commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, Philip Davidson, said in an NHK interview that China's threat to Taiwan will manifest itself within the next six years.