Narrow Waters, Dangerous Currents

It’s a conflict that keeps the world on tenterhooks: the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing views Taiwan as a »renegade province« that needs to be reunited with the motherland. For its part, Taipei is seeking to preserve its de facto independence and its hard-won democracy. As a leading producer of microchips with a strategically pivotal location in the Western Pacific, the island state is of enormous importance in the rivalry between the People’s Republic and the USA. Nowhere is a direct confrontation between these two superpowers more likely than in the Taiwan Strait.

In this highly topical book, Taiwan expert and novelist Stephan Thome sheds light on the history behind this conflict, aspects which are rarely discussed with any real depth in media coverage of the topic. Thome explains why Taiwan’s geography is so important and what it would mean for a possible military clash. Tracing long historical arcs, the author explains how China’s self-image as and old and new world power as well as America’s policy of securing strategic alliances in the region have contributed to the current situation. The fight for Taiwan began a long time ago, but its affects for the rest of the world are much more profound than many might think.