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

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.

KERRY BROWN is Professor of Chinese Studies and Director of the Lau China Institute at King’s College, London, and has focused on China and Taiwan since 1991. He is the author of over 20 books on modern Chinese politics, including CEO China: The Rise of Xi Jinping (Bloomsbury), The World According to Xi (Bloomsbury), Xi: A Study in Power (Icon Books), China Incorporated: The Politics of a World Where China is Number One, and Fearful Asymmetry: A History of Britain’s Relations with China 1570-2023 (Yale University Press). He has written and commented on China in every major international news outlet.