Confrontation Over Taiwan ─ Nineteenth-Century China and the Powers

Taiwan had strategic value in the nineteenth century, but it stood in the crossfire of imperialism from Japan as well as Western powers. Gordon (Chinese history emeritus, Purdue U.) analyzes the seemingly endless swordplay amongst Great Britain, the US and Japan, which lead to an alliance of sorts between the Western powers. He describes the actions of France, which blockaded Taiwan and the rather odd way China ceded Taiwan to the Japanese in 1895. Although Japan was not to hold Taiwan forever, the message was clear that control of the South China Sea, its military situation and trade, was not necessarily the exclusive right of Europeans. This a finely-tuned analysis of what happened to Taiwan serves well as a text for international studies students as well as a solid, no-nonsense account for general readers. Annotation c2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Leonard H. D. Gordon is professor emeritus of Chinese history at Purdue University. He was diplomatic historian for the Department of State between 1961 and 1963.