Taiwan: Nation-State or Province?

By John F. Copper

Book Overview

In this newly revised and updated edition of Taiwan: Nation-State or Province?, John F. Copper examines Taiwan's geography and history, society and culture, economy, political system, and foreign and security policies in the context of Taiwan's uncertain political status as either a sovereign nation or a province of the People's Republic of China. Copper argues that Taiwan's very rapid and successful democratization suggests Taiwan should be independent and separate from China, while economic links between Taiwan and China indicate the opposite.

New to the sixth edition is enhanced coverage of the issues of immigration; the impact of having the world's lowest birthrate; China's economic and military rise and America's decline; Taiwan's relations with China, the United States, and Japan; and the KMT's (Nationalist Party) return to power. The new edition will also examine the implications of the 2012 presidential election. A selected bibliography guides students in further research.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0813346924
• ISBN13: 9780813346922
• Release Date: December 2013
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Essential reading if you want to understand Taiwan.

Although the book's organization resembles a textbook too much, the information is invaluable. Given that there is a mountain of books available on China it is extremely helpful to read something about the first Chinese democracy. While I enjoyed the book as a whole I was particularly interested in the story of Taiwan's evolution from dictatorship to democracy. This is especially cool because Taiwan is still strengthening its democracy. No other book examines Taiwan in such depth, which is not as great a compliment as it sounds since only a handful of books really examine modern Taiwan.