U.S. spy chief says 'no-limits' partnership between China and Russia now extends to Taiwan

Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said today that China and Russia have begun closer military ties that could possibly threaten Taiwan.

“We see China and Russia, for the first time, exercising together in relation to Taiwan and recognizing that this is a place where China definitely wants Russia to be working with them, and we see no reason why they wouldn’t,” Haines told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Haines said the “no-limits” partnership between China and Russia means the U.S. military and intelligence community are becoming increasingly concerned about a potential conflict scenario involving both countries.

“Certainly it’s a possibility,” she said. “The question of just how likely it is, I think differs depending on the scenario.”

Haines said China and Russia are cooperating “across really every sector of society.”

Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, said the United States has “become even more concerned about our joint force requirements in an environment where” China and Russia are cooperating.

Kruse said the military needs to take into account “whether or not we actually believe there would be two full-up” battlefronts against China and Russia.

“And we would need to take that into account, in force structure and planning,” he said.