J. Michael Cole, Cross-Strait Relations since 2016: the End of the Illusion (Routledge: London and New York, 2020) 202p.
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J. Michael Cole, Cross-Strait Relations since 2016: the End of the Illusion (Routledge: London and New York, 2020) 202p. $35.96 Paperback; $124 Hardback; $35.96 Ebook Tristan Kenderdine 1 Accepted: 3 September 2020/ # Journal of Chinese Political Science/Association of Chinese Political Studies 2020
This book is a reply to the author’s 2016 work Convergence or Conflict in the Taiwan Strait—The Illusion of Peace? Read together, the two works bookend Tsai-Ing Wen’s first term as Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) president. The work is timely, as the demise of the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ model in Hong Kong means a likely increase in Beijing-Taipei tensions in the coming short-term political horizon. J. Michael Cole’s treatment is a very good compendium of primary sources and an excellent historical record. The book firstly updates PRC policy and rhetoric towards Taiwan since Tsai’s taking office, examines PRC efforts to influence domestic Taiwan politics and the pan-green DPP movement, looks at the military and strategic realities facing Taiwan over the past four years, and the domestic political reality of the United States and what the leadership transition there has meant for Taiwan. Cole also examines Japan’s perspective of the first Tsai term, before returning to the PRC perspective and the continued policy of isolating Taiwan from international institutions. Cole concludes with three chapters assessing the efficacy of multiple policy discourses of the Tsai administration, presenting some strong political scenarios for the near future, and examining possible future trajectories. Cole brings a wealth of sources to light such as Tsai’s political speeches in English, as well as providing Chinese character names of laws, speeches and policies. Through this approach, he gives a very good account of the political and policy developments over the course of the administration. The book straddles several worlds: political science, Sinology, journalism, and history—Cole weaves a cogent and engaging narrative, this is an excellent primer for the past four years of Taiwan elite politics. Cole also shows how Kuomintang and other unification parties continue to contribute to the fabric of democracy in Taiwan, including the New Party, the China
* Tristan Kenderdine [email protected]
1
Future Risk, Almaty, Kazakhstan
T. Kenderdine
Unification Promotion Party and also indigenous policy voices. Policy and popular sentiment from across the local and minority polities and policy-making processes are contrasted with the grand strategic narrative chapters on the Mainland, Japan and the United States. The use of characters in the text for major historical events, policies, and sources is very welcome and a publishing standard that should become more widespread. For a primary source-based work of political science, endnotes directly referencing the sources would have been cleaner for the reader rather than having to navigate the parentheticals and source list at the end of each chapter. The chapters using primary sour
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