The risk of war between China and its democratic neighbor Taiwan is “serious, but not inevitable,” says Dennis Kwok, a scholar-in-exile who is a visiting lecturer at Northeastern University. Kwok served in Hong Kong’s Legislative Council from 2012 to 2020. In the midst of China’s crackdown on Hong Kong, Beijing disqualified Kwok from running in the 2020 Hong Kong legislative election. He was a founding member of the pro-democracy liberal Civic Party in 2006 that supported democracy, fundamental rights and the rule of law.
“When I was a lawmaker, I always told people that you should care about what happens to Hong Kong,” he said. “Because if Hong Kong falls, the next problem you’re going to have on your desk is Taiwan.” Kwok said the next few years “are going to be really critical, in terms of deterrence.”
