The US administration is still formulating its Indo-Pacific policy, but recent indications suggest that it will take a tough stance on Taiwan. At the Shangri-La Dialogue, held in Singapore from 30 May to 1 June, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reiterated that the United States is an Indo-Pacific nation and is ‘here to stay’.
He warned the participants that any attempt by China to conquer Taiwan by force would result in ‘devastating consequences’ for the region and the world. And the bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities last month demonstrated that under the right circumstances, US President Donald Trump would not shy away from military action.
In this context, the publication this month of Chris Horton’s Ghost Nation could hardly be more timely. Based in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, Horton has spent the past two decades reporting on China and Taiwan for global media including the Financial Times, The New York Times and Nikkei Asia.
Horton’s book is thoroughly researched and packed with interviews, including dissidents and professionals whose daily lives were impacted by the country’s political transformation, and former Taiwanese presidents Lee Teng-hui and Tsai Ing-wen.
Horton anchors his narrative in the triangular relationship between China, Japan and the US. The Qing dynasty took Taiwan over from the Dutch in 1683, but the emperor’s initial attitude to the island was demeaning: ‘Taiwan is no bigger than a ball of mud. We gain nothing by possessing it, and it will be no loss if we do not acquire it.’
Gradually this changed, and in 1887 imperial China declared Taiwan a province only to cede it to Japan in 1895 as part of the Sino-Japanese war peace settlement. Despite China’s vocal claims over Taiwan, Horton reminds us that the last time the island was ruled from Beijing was during the Qing dynasty.
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