Why Taiwan Matters: A Short History of a Small Island That Will Dictate Our Future - Couverture rigide

Brown, Kerry

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 1250362091 ISBN 13 : 9781250362094

Editeur : St Martin's Press, 2025

Synopsis

Taiwan expert Kerry Brown sums up the history of Taiwan and the danger of a Chinese takeover in this succinct and authoritative book.

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.

Why Taiwan Matters 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. Why Taiwan Matters is the essential book for understanding Taiwan's unique story told in an accessible, expert and urgent way.

A propos du livre

À propos de l'auteur

Kerry Brown is Professor of Chinese Studies and Director of the Lau China Institute at King's College, London. Prior to that he was Professor of Chinese Politics at the University of Sydney, and Head of the Asia Programme at Chatham House, London. With 30 years experience of life in China, he has worked in education, business and government, including a term as First Secretary at the British Embassy in Beijing. He is author of over 20 books on contemporary China, including The World According to Xi: Everything You Need to Know About the New China (2018). He is currently working on a history of Britain's relations with China since the 16th century.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: St Martin's Press
• Date d'édition: 2025
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 1250362091
• ISBN 13: 9781250362094
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 272
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible