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

倫敦國王學院教授、台灣問題專家凱瑞・布朗(Kerry Brown)在這本簡潔且權威的書中概述了台灣的歷史以及中國接管的風險。

1949年，血腥的中國內戰結束，出現了兩個中國：毛澤東的共產黨獲勝，掌握了中國大陸；蔣介石的國民黨撤退到台灣島。自此之後，中國與台灣在政治與文化上逐漸分離，成為兩個不同的實體。

如今，台灣是一個蓬勃發展的民主社會，並且是經濟成功的典範：僅一家台灣企業就生產了全球超過90%的半導體，支撐著世界經濟的運轉。這裡是一個自由而充滿活力的社會。對美國與西方國家而言，台灣是對抗中國日益強勢姿態的重要自由堡壘。然而，在習近平的領導下，中國愈發好戰，堅稱台灣是其領土的一部分，並且最終必須「回歸」中國。如果中國對台實施封鎖並發動入侵，將引爆連鎖反應，使中國與美國對立——區域衝突勢必升級為全球戰爭。台灣，無疑是一座地緣政治的火藥庫。

《台灣為何重要》(Why Taiwan Matters)帶領我們理解：歷史如何、又為什麼會走到這個危險的時刻。布朗教授擁有來自台灣政治領袖的第一手資訊，深入了解台灣的歷史與文化，在書中提供了全新的詮釋。他細緻描繪出這座擁有2,300萬人口的島嶼，如何在這場令人不安的地緣政治僵局中努力尋找生存之道。

《台灣為何重要》是一本理解台灣獨特故事的必讀之作，內容清晰、專業且具有時代緊迫性。

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.