MILWAUKEE— October 13, 2022 — East Asia Policy Institute today released a new report on the threat status of a China – Taiwan military conflict. The full report can be found online at the link below or in the attached pdf.

https://www.eastasiapolicy.org/briefingsandreports/despite-the-hype-china-cant-afford-to-risk-a-military-conflict-with-taiwan-for-now.

The report concludes that China’s use of military force against Taiwan would inevitably have devastating and long-lasting effects on China’s economy and doesn’t fall within the current leader Xi Jinping’s acceptable level of risk.

According to the Weston Sedgwick, the report’s author, “It is important to remember that Xi Jinping and the CCP see Taiwan primarily as a threat to China’s legitimacy, not an opportunity to be seized. This means that China’s Taiwan policies and decision-making are typically about what it wants to avoid, not what it wants to achieve.”

“China’s ultimate objective isn’t an invasion of Taiwan, but a process by which the two countries negotiate a formal long-term political relationship,” Sedgwick said. “The more precise indicator of conflict will arise when China sets a hard deadline for these negotiations to begin.”

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East Asia Policy Institute, or EAPI, is a private nongovernmental organization devoted to improving human rights conditions, promoting peace, and strengthening democracy in East Asia through research and actionable policy recommendations.

Author Bio
Weston Sedgwick is an International legal scholar and president of the East Asia Policy Institute. He holds a J.D. from Northern Illinois University with a certification in International Law and a BA from Butler University in Journalism and International Studies. He has previously held senior positions in economic development and international trade assisting companies and state governments in the U.S. with business strategy and international relations in East Asia.