Why Taiwan Matters. How a Small Island Will Dictate the Global Future

Why does Taiwan matter for the twenty-first century?

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

Taiwan is now a democracy, has a successful economy – underpinned by a single company (often referred to as its ‘silicon shield’) producing 85 per cent of the world’s semiconductors – and a free, diverse society. And yet China 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 the US would be forced to intervene, leading to all-out war pitching the world’s biggest economies and militaries – China and the US – against each other. Taiwan is thus a powder keg in geopolitical terms. As Kerry Brown says, this war would make the war in Ukraine look small, even parochial.

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 country’s history and culture, Kerry Brown provides a new reading of the country’s politics, its 23 million people, and how they navigate being caught in this frightening geopolitical standoff.

This is the essential book delving into Taiwan’s story – buried behind the headlines – told in an accessible, expert and urgent way.