Face Off: China, the United States, and Taiwan's Democratization

by John W. Garver

Taiwan's first presidential election, in 1996, sparked a Sino-U.S. military showdown that resulted in the biggest show of U.S. naval force in East Asia since the Vietnam War. This book is the first to explore the origins and triangular dynamics of that historic confrontation. Analyzing the key decisions and misperceptions that led to the Taiwan Strait crisis, Garver warns that it may usher in a more confrontational era of Sino-U.S. relations.

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• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0295976179
• ISBN13: 9780295976174
• Release Date: July 1997
• Publisher: University of Washington Press
• Length: 200 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Detailed, Perceptive Analysis of the 1996 Crisis

In this book, Garver recounts the events that led to the 1996 missile crisis between Taiwan and China and explains the significance it has to the U.S. He begins by explaining how U.S.-PRC relations underwent increased uncertainty and instability due to the emergence of a democratic Taiwan. Taiwan's abolishment of martial law in 1987 allowed it to gain sympathy from other nations. This factor, reinforced by Taiwan's growing economic influence, allowed for it to expand its participation in international society and gradually drift away from China. China, on the other hand, faced growing international contempt due to the Tiananmen massacre. Furthermore, the Chinese government felt that its aspirations to rise as a world power was being thwarted by the U.S., as it believed that the U.S. was stopping China's growth through economic pressure and an excessive focus on human rights. The political and economic growth of Taiwan, coupled by China's belief that the U.S. was supporting such development, eventually prompted China to engage in large-scale military exercises geared towards Taiwan. The first wave occurred in 1995, during Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui's visit to Cornell University, and the second wave occurred during Taiwan's first presidential election in 1996. The U.S. took a hard line on such actions, as it dispatched two aircraft carriers from the Persian Gulf to ensure that tensions did not escalate in the Taiwan Strait. Given the ambiguous position the U.S. has taken on the Taiwan issue, Garver believes that the 1996 crisis did assist in answering some critical questions about U.S. policy and its underlying intentions. It indicates that at least under certain circumstances, in the case of a Chinese attack, the U.S. will provide a degree of protection to Taiwan. The U.S. stance will increase the costs of China to employ military means to achieve unification, and will serve as an additional factor China must consider before it engages in such a war. What Garver cannot predict, however, is the U.S. response in the case that Taiwan recklessly provokes China and declares independence.