Complex sentence: According to Paine, in this contest Japan's chief target remained throughout the Chinese Republic; consequently this regional conflict tipped the balance in the preexisting civil war in favor of the Communists under Mao Zedong, despite Japan's continually reiterated state policy of hostility to communism.
Split into simpler sentences: According to Paine, in this contest Japan's chief target remained throughout the Chinese Republic. Consequently this regional conflict tipped the balance in the preexisting civil war in favor of the Communist Party of China under Mao Zedong, despite Japan's continually reiterated state policy of hostility to communism.