TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A whistleblower from Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) reported that Chinese Chairman Xi Jinping (習近平) had considered launching an invasion of Taiwan in the fall of this year before the "window of opportunity" closed with the disastrous Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The head of the Russian human rights group Gulagu Net, Vladimir Osechkin, recently on Facebook began releasing documents containing Russian intelligence concerning the war in Ukraine. One document, which Osechkin claimed was written by an intelligence officer from an analytical unit of the FSB, apparently revealed China's original timeline for attacking Taiwan before Russia began its invasion.
According to the March 4 report, Xi had been "considering taking over Taiwan in the fall." Part of the rationale given for that timing was that Xi "needs his own little victory to get re-elected for a third term," a reference to the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, amid what the analyst described as a "colossal" power struggle among China's elite.
However, "after the Ukrainian events, this window of opportunity has been closed for (Xi)," wrote the author of the report. He asserted that this gives the U.S. the opportunity to "both blackmail Xi and negotiate with his competitors on favorable terms."
Earlier in the document, the analyst wrote that China may give Russia an ultimatum to "end the war to stabilize oil prices." The author warned that given Russia's negative image...
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