Why Taiwan Matters by Kerry Brown

I am thinking of going to Taiwan and there is a dearth of information about the island nation as a tourist destination. Ergo I resorted to learning more about it's history and the complex triangular relationship between Taiwan, China, and the United States. The author asserts that the road to Taiwan’s peace and security runs through Beijing. The better the world understands this, the better informed we are to make decisions regarding this highly sensitive affair. This isn’t to say that Taiwan has no input in the matter – in fact, Taiwan is increasingly becoming detached from China as the generations pass on. Even though the native population of the island is dwarfed by the Han Chinese descendants, which is true on the mainland as well, they are not aligned with China culturally. A distinct Taiwanese identity, which has always existed in different forms, has emerged with greater vigor, especially after the pro-democracy reforms which started in the late 1980s and flourished in the mid-nineties with the election of Lee Teng-hui, frequently referred to as Taiwan’s “father of democracy.” This is an entry point to getting to know Taiwan.