Ghost Nations

Three books, three eras. Is it about time we called Taiwan what it is. China won't like it. But perhaps it's time we stopped trying to please China.

Jul 16 • 

Chris Taylor

2

Making Revolution

A new biography may yield few secrets about Xi Jinping, but it speaks volumes about the party that forged father and son

Jul 5 • 

Chris Taylor

2

June 2025

The Gift of Fire

China's giddy ascent to superpower rival of the US is one of five-year plans, wholesale IP theft and vast spy rings—in the pursuit of profits, Apple…

Jun 10 • 

Chris Taylor

2

May 2025

Rebel Island, Boiling Moat

As geopolitical puzzles go, Taiwan's a winner, resulting in some convoluted journalese: Welcome to, say, 'pawn between two giants.' or would you prefer…

May 28 • 

Chris Taylor

1

April 2025

Go East Young Lawyer

An esteemed figure in advancing rule of law in East Asia, Jerome Cohen goes about his life story more in the form of an extraordinarily long dinner…

Apr 9 • 

Chris Taylor

2

1

March 2025

Kafka at the Gates of Dawn

A collection of essays by sinologist Perry Link is a could-be autobiography, but thankfully it tells us far more about the bizarre cultural evolution of…

Mar 9 • 

Chris Taylor

3

February 2025

Saint Jim

The rags-to-riches – and then to-jail – tale of how Jimmy Lai became a billionaire before accepting God and a CCP jail cell is a page-turner despite the…

Feb 27 • 

Chris Taylor

6

January 2025

Tangled up in red

Huawei, telecoms, the Party, and Mao-nostalgia 'cat tax'

Jan 27 • 

Chris Taylor

4

Does Xi dream of communist sheep?

In the Orwellian world of 'Xi Jinping Thought,' the new Great Helmsman and the Party are one; can the Party ever replace him?

Jan 16 • 

Chris Taylor

2

5

Hacks and other escalations

At the cutting edge of technological sophistication, 'China exceptionalists' are confronted by a modern nation state preparing for war

Jan 7 • 

Chris Taylor

3

December 2024

Decline and fall

Taiwan legislative kingmaker and spotless 'white knight' slips in the mud of Taiwan politics

Dec 30, 2024 • 

Chris Taylor

2

June 2023

China's Other Voices

Wu'er Kaixi (Uerkesh Davlet), student leader of the protests in 1989, today Secretary General of the Taiwan Parliamentary Human Rights Commission calls…

Jun 4, 2023 • 

Chris Taylor