Description

An urgent, indispensable guide to why Taiwan matters – for China, the West and everyone’s future

‘An erudite primer . . . Brown’s mission to educate westerners about Taiwan and why it matters is a critical one, which makes this book well worth reading’ SUNDAY TIMES * ‘Anyone with a care to avoid a third world war – between China and the US – should read this book’ JACK STRAW * ‘An authoritative primer to all things Taiwan’ BARBARA DEMICK

When the bloody Chinese Civil War concluded in 1949, two Chinas were born. Mao’s Communists won and took China’s mainland; Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists fled to Taiwan island. Since then, China and Taiwan have drifted into being separate political and cultural entities.

Taiwan is now a flourishing democracy and an economic success story: just one of its companies produces over 90 per cent of the semiconductors that power the world’s economy. It is a free and vibrant society. For the United States and the West, the island is a bastion of freedom against China’s assertive presence in the region. And yet China, increasingly bellicose under Xi Jinping, insists Taiwan is part of its territory and must be returned to it. Should China blockade the island and mount an invasion, it would set off a chain reaction that would pitch it against the US – escalating a regional war into a global one. Taiwan is thus a geopolitical powder keg.

The Taiwan Story helps us understand how and why we’ve arrived at this dangerous moment in history. With unparalleled access to Taiwan’s political leaders and a deep understanding of the island’s history and culture, Professor Kerry Brown provides a new reading of Taiwan, its twenty-three million people, and how they navigate being caught in this frightening geopolitical standoff. This is the essential book delving into Taiwan’s unique story, buried beneath the headlines, told in an accessible, expert and urgent way.

‘Kerry Brown is one of our most perceptive and accurate foreign observers of China’ JOHN SIMPSON

‘Written with great knowledge, passion and insight’ MARTIN JACQUES

Publisher Review

Kerry Brown has produced an authoritative primer to all things Taiwan – in eminently readable prose he tells how an island once dismissed by the Qing dynasty emperor Kangxi as a “mud ball in the sea” was transformed into a raucous democracy and economic powerhouse, as well as one of the most contested lands in the world. Brown covers how it started, how it’s going and above all, why it is urgent that we all care — Barbara Demick, author of Nothing to Envy Kerry Brown is one of our most perceptive and accurate foreign observers of China — John Simpson Anyone with a care to avoid a third world war – between China and the US – should read this book. It’s succinct, cogent and thoughtful. It makes the unfashionable, but crucial and, in my view, unarguable case for continuing an approach of ‘strategic ambiguity’ towards Taiwan’s international position. Kerry Brown has the added merit of knowing what he’s talking about. He’s lived and breathed China all his adult life — Jack Straw, British Foreign Secretary 2001-2006 Taiwan is one of the most dangerous hotspots in the world. This is a highly readable account of its history and the parameters of the present crisis, written with great knowledge, passion, and insight by someone who has followed Taiwan very closely for many years. Whether he is right, only time will tell. — Martin Jacques, author of When China Rules the World A thorough and nuanced analysis of Taiwan’s history, present and potential future — Michael Booth, author of The Almost Nearly Perfect People Kerry Brown has written a gripping, urgently needed overview of one of the most crucial disputes in the world, the question of Taiwan. He shows us how a crisis could unfold – and how it can be avoided. The stakes of course could not be higher, and this book is a must-read for all who are concerned about the current state of our dangerous world, indeed the future of our planet — Michael Wood, author of The Story of China If you want to understand the twenty-first century, you need to understand Taiwan. And if you want to understand Taiwan, you need to read this book. A compelling synthesis of the issue by an expert in the field — Elliot Ackerman, author of The Fifth Act: America’s End in Afghanistan Kerry Brown’s The Taiwan Story is a factual, thoughtful and very well-written account of Taiwan at a crucial time not just for the Taiwanese, but for all of us. The book’s subtitle – How a Small Island Will Dictate the Global Future – could not be more apposite. The book explains, with great clarity, both why and how — Sir Malcolm Rifkind, former Foreign Secretary An excellent introduction for those newly curious about Taiwan and a handy refresher or useful reference for more seasoned readers — William Hurst, Chong Hua Professor, University of Cambridge The Taiwan Story is an excellent account of a complex issue that is commonly misunderstood. The style is accessible, and the combination of political and historical context with on-the-spot observations is superb. Completely up-to-date, it presents information from the Taiwan side of the China-Taiwan conflict that is not readily available. This is the best introduction for anyone trying to understand this conflict — Michael Dillon, author of We Need To Talk About Xi For those involved or just interested in international affairs, this is a readable and balanced primer on probably the most consequential global hotspot of our century — Sir Nigel Sheinwald, former British Ambassador to the United States The great strength of Kerry Brown’s book is that it treats Taiwan as a place and people with their own identity, forged by their own history, linked with but also distinct from the mainland, and not just as an ‘issue’ or ‘problem’ or potential ‘flashpoint’. Taiwan is of course all these things as well, but it is impossible to grasp any of these meanings let alone manage them without understanding the layers of complexity that define the idea of Taiwan. No one with an interest in international relations can ignore Taiwan. By exposing the complexities and ambiguities of the idea of Taiwan clearly, empathically but objectively, Brown has done a great service to readers everywhere.’ — Bilahari Kausikan, former Permanent Secretary of the Singapore Foreign Ministry Insightful and comprehensive . . . Kerry Brown masterfully presents the delicate balance Taiwan maintains amid growing tensions between major global powers. This book is an essential read for anyone seeking to grasp the intricacies of Taiwan’s identity and its pivotal role in contemporary international relations — Klaus Muhlhahn, author of Making China Modern