U.S. intelligence sees lower near-term risk of China invading Taiwan

The U.S. intelligence community has eased its assessment of a near-term Chinese invasion of Taiwan, saying Beijing is more likely to pursue control of the island without military force and has no fixed timeline for unification. The updated view marks a shift from earlier warnings that pointed to 2027 as a potential deadline, a scenario that had driven urgency in Washington and Taipei. In its latest threat assessment, officials said Chinese leaders are not planning an invasion within that timeframe. Still, the report underscores China’s broad strategic challenge to the U.S. It describes Beijing as a leading cyber threat, a...