China has delayed any possible invasion of Taiwan for at least four years following Russia’s disastrous foray into Ukraine, intelligence chiefs have claimed.

President Xi Jinping will reportedly analyze Vladimir Putin’s failures before making any moves on Taiwan (ROC).

According to Chen Ming-tong, head of Taiwan’s national security bureau, China will not launch an attack for the remainder of Tsai Ing-wen’s presidential term, which ends in 2026.

‘The lesson of Ukraine for Beijing is that it should not easily wage a war,’ Chen told the Times.

‘Beijing will study Russia’s deficiencies and improve the People’s Liberation Army overall effectiveness.

‘Should it launch a war, it would be a comprehensive one, and Taiwan must assess Beijing’s intentions with the broadest scope of possibilities.’

Chen added: ‘We are not here waiting passively or sitting idle.’

Fears of a Chinese takeover has always been there and China is continuously expanding its military capability, and is also ramping up military drills in the South China Sea.

It is also believed to have increased its nuclear arsenal in recent years after building a silo complex in the desert in Xinjiang province, spanning some 800sqkm.

Recently, it emerged on Tuesday that it was looking into a ‘train’ capable of transporting Beijing’s nuclear weapons around the country, making them harder to track or identify.

Following the Ukraine invasion, Taiwan says it will extend compulsory military service beyond the current four months in a bid to improve its defenses.

Beijing wants Taiwan firmly back under China’s control by 2050, and has shrugged off comparisons with Ukraine, arguing that Taiwan is a ‘domestic affair’ while Ukraine is a sovereign nation that is already recognized internationally.

Chen believes the US will respond if China moves on Taiwan, adding: ‘If the US can be involved to such a degree without a relations act with Ukraine, the US will only be more involved with its Taiwan Relations Act.’

The security pact is an agreement in which the US will supply Taiwan with sufficient hardware and technology to fight against an invasion.

Wu Qian, a spokesman for China’s defense ministry, said: ‘Recently, [the Taiwan authority] is using the Ukraine situation… to try to hype the mainland threats, heighten the confrontation across the Taiwan Strait, and even agitate for a war. Such acts are hurting Taiwan and will only push Taiwan into the abyss of a disaster.’

Australia announced today that it will be doubling the size of its electronic spy agency to fight against increasing cyber-attacks.

The Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) will hire almost 2,000 staff while the government also committed to increasing the country’s commitment to the to the Five Eyes intelligence sharing network involving the UK, the US, Canada and New Zealand.

It will also bolster another agreement with the UK and the US in a bid to counteract the rising threat from China.