Taiwan is one of the great paradoxes of the international order. A place with its own flag, currency, government and military, but which most of the world does not recognise as a sovereign country. An island that China regards as a 'rebellious province', but which has managed to survive defiantly for decades. Now with its neighbour China a major power on the world stage and ally United States looking increasingly inward, Taiwan's position has never been more precarious. Kerry Brown and Kalley Wu Tzu-hui reveal how the island's shifting fortunes have been shaped by centuries of conquest and by a cast of dynamic characters, by Cold War intrigue and the rise of its neighbour as a global power, explaining how this tiny island, caught between the agendas of two superpowers, is attempting to find its place in a rapidly changing world order. -- Back cover

Introduction: The great Asian game -- Contested histories: from the Ming to today -- The great transformation: democratization and the impact on Taiwan's identity -- At the front line of 'sharp power': Taiwan's relation with the People's Republic of China -- World's apart: Taiwan's international space -- Parallel lives: Taiwan's economic identity -- Thinking through the issue of Taiwan -- The trouble with Taiwan.