G10:Taiwan: The Threat of a Major War Now and the Future

Superficially at least, Ukraine and Taiwan appear to have much in common. Both are democracies whose territories have historically been claimed by much larger and better-armed neighbors. Beijing has long pledged to "reunify" with Taiwan, peacefully or by force, long before 2049. What strategic and economic reasons does China have for invading Taiwan? What lessons should Xi Jinping be learning from Putin's misguided adventure in Ukraine? Is Taiwan ready? Will Taiwan fight? Has it invested enough in its own defense? What are the treaty obligations of the United States? Will Japan or any other Indo-Pacific nation support any effort by Taiwan to defend itself? If not, should the United States assume that responsibility? What type of weapons will be most effective in preventing China's armed forces from crossing the Taiwan Strait and landing on Taiwan? If China indeed has more warships than the US, does the US still hold the edge in quality? What would be the implications in the Indo-Pacific area if China succeeds in taking Taiwan? How would that impact the Chinese economy and by extension, the US economy?

Purpose: Learn about 7 different scenarios of a military conflict involving Taiwan, China and the United States

Facilitator: Mike Quinlan