Ukraine conflict ‘heightens the risk’ of Chinese-American war, professor says

The conflict in Ukraine “heightens the risk” of war between China and the U.S., a political science professor told Fox News. 

Michael Beckley, an associate professor of political science at Tufts University, said China invade Taiwan while the U.S. is distracted with the Russia’s siege on Ukraine. Conflict between the U.S. and China would most likely break out if the authoritarian superpower were to take military action in Taiwan.

“The United States and China, I think, are at very high risk of conflict,” Beckley, the co-author of the upcoming book “Danger Zone: The Coming Conflict with China,” told Fox News. “Not just economic competition or ideological competition, but an actual war.”

Beckley told Fox News that a slowing Chinese economy, rising sentiments of Taiwanese independence and increasing international pressure to contain China’s growth make conflict more likely. 

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“There’s a lot of chatter suggesting that if China is going to move on Taiwan that now would be the opportune time,” Beckley told Fox News. “The Russia conflict plays into this because of course it’s a big distraction for the United States.” 

In October, President Biden pledged to defend Taiwan if China attacked. 

The U.S., under the Taiwan Relations Act, provides defensive weapons to Taiwan, but it is not obligated to provide military support if China were to invade.

President Xi
(Huang Jingwen/Xinhua via AP))

Beckley told Fox News that the conflict in Ukraine limits the resources the U.S. can dedicate to protecting Taiwan from China.

“If Russia and China are each fighting back-to-back in their own regions, that’s going to overstretch American forces, give them each opportunities to make inroads in their own regions and I…