William Burns was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera on Wednesday that China probably saw in Ukraine that “you don’t achieve quick, decisive victories with underwhelming force”.

Speaking at the Aspen Security Forum, Burns said that China was “unsettled” when looking at Russia’s five-month-old war in Ukraine, which he characterised as a “strategic failure” for President Vladimir Putin because he had hoped to topple the Kyiv government within a week.

“Our sense is that it probably affects less the question of whether the Chinese leadership might choose some years down the road to use force to control Taiwan, but how and when they would do it,” Burns said.

“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 said.

The CIA chief made the comment at a time when the US and China are engaged in a bitter tussle over numerous issues including Taiwan.

Beijing sees Taiwan as a breakaway province.

Taiwan considers itself to be an independent nation.