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This work, written by an expert in the politics of Mainland China and Taiwan, looks at the role the Constitution of the Republic of China has played in the development of Taiwan since 1949 and its potential influence on the People's Republic of China.The Chinese Communists conducted the first long march for the sake of the majority of Chinese people, with the victory of MAO Zedong. In the second long march, CHIANG Kai-shek and his successors tried to convert the Chinese mailand from a Communist, totalitarian system, into a democratic, prosperous one by relying on the spirit of the Republic of China (ROC) constitution and by setting itself as a good example, in gradually guaranteeing freedom and democracy. Needless to say, this march is long and difficult."Struggling Against The Chinese Communists under the Republic of China Constitution" challenges other models and theories on the study of the relationship between the ROC (Taiwan area) and mainland China or the People's Republic of China (PRC) since China became politically (as opposed to legally) divided in December 1949.Arguably, it is the ROC Constitution that has helped ROC citizens to live in a non-Communist or anti-Communist political system. Actively promoting democracy and freedom on the Chinese mainland (neidi) can further guarantee the Taiwan area's survival.The book provides valuable scholarship of interest to anyone researching the political history of China and its prospects for democratization. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Rambling, unconvincing
Modern Chinese history, Yu Peter Kien-hong argues, can be divided into two defining periods -- the First Long March, led by Communist leader Mao Zedong to "liberate peasants and farmers," and the Second Long March, in which non- and anti-communists sought to "promote full-fledged and mature constitutional democracy" in China.

Yu, a professor at Ming Chuan University, posits that Taiwan and "mainland China" are both part of the Republic of China (ROC). Both Taiwan and the People's Republic of China (PRC), though they have engaged in different, lesser marches since, are bound by the same destiny, in the form of the ROC Constitution, to "reunite" at one point. As the ROC was never dissolved, the PRC is a derivative of, or partial successor to, the ROC. In other words, it did not completely replace the ROC, meaning that it can only claim sovereignty over Taiwan as part of the ROC.

To make his point, Yu walks us through the marches led by Chiang Kai-shek, Yan Chia-kan, Chiang Ching-kuo, Lee Teng-hui and Chen Shui-bian, arguing that despite great contests of power and changing times, the leadership in Taiwan -- which throughout the book the author annoyingly refers to as "Taiwan area" -- nevertheless continued to adhere to the ROC Constitution, which in his view has worked quite well in its "struggle" against the CCP.

While not shying away from criticizing the Chiangs and Lee, Yu shows his true political colors in his description of Chen, whose election engendered a "political mess plus scandals of one type or another," and who did a "terrible job" as president. Yu's problem, however, is that in the 35 pages he dedicates to the Chen march, he fails to show us why his tenure was so terrible, relying on the 2004 shooting incident -- a favorite of deep blues in their attacks on the former president -- to somehow make his point. Here, as in many books written by KMT sympathizers, the pan-blue camp's scorched earth tactics in the legislature, which often prevented the executive from governing, are papered over.

It is more likely, therefore, that Yu's unfavorable characterization of Chen lies in the fact that the latter was the leader who came closest to abandoning the

so-called Second March by forsaking the ROC Constitution in his efforts to create a Republic of Taiwan (ROT). Doing so would have destroyed, once and for all, the theory -- now on life support -- that "mainland China" and Taiwan are two parts of the ROC.

As long as Taiwan adheres to the Constitution, written under much different times in 1947, it is possible to hope, as Yu does, that at some point in future it will be possible for the two sides to "reunite." As this is ostensibly Yu's preferred scenario, Chen's pro-Taiwan ideology was therefore a threat. This prompts him into reminding us, though he is wrong, as it turns out, that Ma Ying-jeou's victory in 2008 was a "severe warning" sent by the "majority" of voters in the pan-blue camp "that the ROC [i.e., Taiwan] cannot abandon mainland sovereignty." We all know, of course, that the majority of people who voted for Ma did so because he promised to revive the economy and improve relations with Beijing, not because of some deep-felt desire to claim sovereignty over China.

For all his opposition to Chen's efforts to create a Republic of Taiwan -- which like the PRC could arguably be seen as a "successor" of the ROC -- Yu fails to mention that in 1954 Beijing adopted its own Constitution of the People's Republic of China, which rather than draw from the ROC Constitution, is modeled after the Constitution of the Soviet Union, written in 1936. We can therefore argue that the disconnect that obviated the ROC Constitution was not caused by the Taiwanese independence movement, but rather by the enactment of the PRC Constitution, the latest version of which was adopted in 1982. Yu would be extremely naive if he thought that "reunification" would occur under terms other than the PRC's -- that is, under the ROC framework he advocates.

Equally unpersuasive is Yu's argument that the KMT should join forces with like-minded elements in China in fostering full democracy, efforts that surely would take us closer to war in the Taiwan Strait than anything the Lee and Chen administrations ever did in the name of Taiwanese independence. Toward the book's end, Yu himself admits that the CCP prioritizes its hold on power and only sees the possibility of democracy "with Chinese characteristics" at some distant point in the future. He also ignores the impact that more than 110 years of separate rule has had on identity in Taiwan and people's desire to link their destinies with a regime that, to all, is an alien one.

Sadly, the relatively simple -- and by no means original -- theory at the core of The Second Long March is marred by damnably poor editing and the author's tendency to jump from one point to another without any seeming connection between them, which is distracting and often confusing. Outrageous passages, such as his claim that 650,000 natives of Taiwan -- or one-tenth of the population -- were slaughtered by Imperial Japanese forces during the colonial period (the figure is closer to 30,000, according to many experts, while only Chinese propaganda supports such numbers), serve to discredit Yu and raise questions about the intentions of his badly written, flawed and ultimately unconvincing his book.

(Originally published in the Taipei Times, Sunday, December 6, 2009, page 14.) ... Read more

Product Description
In the 1980s, after more than 3 decades of single-party authoritarian rule, the Duomintang (KMT) initiated a gradual process of political liberalization in Taiwan and an expansion of democratic politics. This volume places Taiwan's experience with political liberalization in comparative perspective. The authors address a number of issues that are peculiar to the consolidation of democracy in Taiwan, including the nature of relations between indigenous Taiwanese and Mainlanders, the changing role of the KMT, and the country's international political status as a divided nation. They also explore more general factors that have influenced the democratization process: the effects of rapid economic transformation on political development, the formation of counterelites, the emergence of interest groups, and the dynamics of electoral politics in "soft" authoritarian regimes. ... Read more

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In five decades, Taiwan has shifted from an authoritarian regime to a multi-party democracy, has moved steadily toward modernization, and has become an economically affluent, socially pluralistic society. Its experience provides valuable lessons for developing countries. This book provides a critical assessment of Taiwan's path to modernization, focusing particularly on developments of constitutional democracy and the rule of law, democratic transition and consolidation, internationalization and globalization, and social developments. ... Read more

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Written by leading experts, Public Administration in East Asia: Mainland China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan examines the inner workings of governments in East Asia, in particular its public administration and related public policy processes. It focuses on the apparatus of government — the agencies, their values, context, and policies within which they operate. Organized in parallel sections, the book covers the history, public policy processes, organization, HRM, ethics, corruption, intergovernmental relations, performance management, and e-government. It discusses each of these topics separately for Mainland China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, providing an unusual and important comparative perspective. The book includes essential knowledge and facts, discussions of emerging issues, and useful resources for further reading. It addresses questions such as:

• What is the history of public administration in East Asia?
• How are decisions made?
• What is the role of Confucianism in shaping public administration?
• How does the developmental path affect public administration?
• Why is performance management emphasized?
• What is the state of citizen participation?
• How are ethical underpinnings of the civil service different from the West?
• Why are intergovernmental relations an essential issue in East Asia?
• What are the politics behind world-class achievements in IT?
• What is the nature of civil service reform?
• What is the nature of efforts to combat government corruption?

You can find many books on trade policy and politics that sometimes give good insight into the operation of government agencies. You can also find a few edited books that contain single chapters on countries in the Asia-Pacific region. What is missing, however, is a single resource that provides an overview with depth on matters solely about public administration. This state-of-the-art resource brings together the fragments of existing knowledge on East Asian economies, filling the need for a comprehensive compendium that showcases the public administration practices in the region and East Asia’s innovative approaches to governance and its many challenges.

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Tourist information about Taiwan with pictures. ... Read more

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Taiwan is a classic case of export-led industrialization. But unlike South Korea and Japan, where large firms have been the major exporters, before the late 1980s Taiwan's successful exporters were overwhelmingly small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The SMEs became the engine of the entire economy, yet for many years the state virtually ignored the SMEs and their role as exporters.

What factors account for the success of the SMEs and their benign neglect by the state? The key was a strict division of labor: state and large private enterprises jointly monopolized the domestic market. This gave the SMEs a free run in export markets. How did this industrial structure come into being? The author argues that it was an unintended consequence of the state's policy toward the private sector and its political strategies for managing societal forces. Indeed, Taiwan's unique industrial structure was shaped by both the witting and the unwitting interactions of the state and the private sector. Moreover, as the author shows, this industrial policy was a product of the internal politics of the economic bureaucracy, and the formulation and implementation of economic policy hinged on mechanisms for solving differences within the state.

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In the fourth edition of Taiwan: Nation-State or Province? Professor Copper examines Taiwan's geography and history, its society and culture, its economy, its political system, and its foreign and security policies in the context of Taiwan's uncertain political status: whether a sovereign nation or a province of the People's Republic of China. Copper argues that Taiwan's very rapid and successful democratization (while leaders in Beijing oppose democratic change) suggests Taiwan should be independent and separate from China; increasingly important economic links between Taiwan and China says the opposite. Professor Copper argues that exacerbating this problem Washington and Beijing espouse opposing policies regarding resolution of the "Taiwan issue" and that has made the Taiwan Strait the world's number one "flashpoint" (place where major powers collide and where war using weapons of mass destruction may be used). This matter has been recently been given further salience by the shift of political power to Chen Shui-bian who was elected president in 2000 and the victory of his opposition party, which has long advocated an independent Taiwan, in the 2001 legislative election and by America's growing perception of a "China danger" and concern about Beijing's military expansion that is in large part aimed at Taiwan. Taiwan: Nation-State or Province? is unlike other books of this genre pursues the theme of Taiwan's unique status and seeks to gauge its future as one of the world's vortex political entities.Praise for the previous editions ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Essential reading if you want to understand Taiwan.
Although the book's organization resembles a textbook too much, theinformation is invaluable. Given that there is a mountain of booksavailable on China it is extremely helpful to read something about thefirst Chinese democracy. While I enjoyed the book as a whole I wasparticularly interested in the story of Taiwan's evolution fromdictatorship to democracy. This is especially cool because Taiwan is stillstrengthening its democracy.No other book examines Taiwan in such depth,which is not as great a compliment as it sounds since only a handful ofbooks really examine modern Taiwan. ... Read more

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This edited translation of Katutugu Yoshida's Jiyuno Nigaiaji analyses the gradual process of reform in Taiwan over the past 100 years. It pays particular attention to the dilemmas, compromises and pitfalls that have faced reformists as they have strived to bring democratic change under a series of brutal dictatorships.

The author discusses the historical background to Taiwan's current constitutional issues and its difficult relationship with the People's Republic of China. It explores in detail the way in which local political activism has transformed national politics, providing original analysis of democratic political thought in East Asia and a rich explanation of the social, historical and political context of democratization in Taiwan. The book makes a significant theoretical contribution to the literature on political reform by using the Taiwanese context to explore debates between reformists and revolutionaries and to consider the development of the concept of the right to self-determination.

This challenging and stimulating book will strongly appeal to scholars and students with an interest in Asian studies, politics, public policy and public choice. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A core and vital addition to any history collection focusing on Asian politics
The story of the two Chinas is one that is truly unique. "Taiwan's Long Road to Democracy: Bitter Taste of Freedom" tells the story of the Republic of China, more commonly referred to as its conventional and less confusing name of Taiwan. Discussing Taiwan's constant conflicts with mainland communist China, "Taiwan's Long Road to Democracy" is an intriguing and educational dissection of the Taiwan/China political system conflict and how Taiwan has gained its own identity and has become one of the most free countries in the world, Katutugu Yoshida provides a highly educational and informative read. "Taiwan's Long Road to Democracy" is a core and vital addition to any history collection focusing on Asian politics. ... Read more

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While coups have been widespread in the developing world, none has ever succeeded in a communist nation. In this study, Dr Cheng examines how Leninist party-states have been able to maintain stable civil-military relations. Challenging conventional western scholarship, which holds that the party effectively controls the military through the "Political Commissar System" (PCS), the author contends that military participation in politics is the key stabilizing factor. To support his argument, the author presents detailed case studies of the PCS in the armies of China and Taiwan. His comparative analysis provides valuable insights into the causes of contentious civil-military relations in non-communist nations and raises questions about the key issues of professionalism, the military's political neutrality, civilian supremacy, and state control of the armed forces. ... Read more

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These volumes provide an extensive and reliable research source for study of a 100-year period of Taiwanese history. The early reports cover the nineteenth-century years of Formosa as a part of China, as well as the brief period of independence in 1895, followed by the period up to World War II as a Japanese colony. The post-war reports are valuable in documenting the struggle between the Kuomintang, led by Chiang-kai-shek, and the Communist forces of Mao-tse-tung. The Nationalists, defeated on the mainland, brought to Taiwan the flag which had been adopted as the national flag of China from 1928-1949. These reports provide contemporary accounts of the military tensions of the early 1950s, the rivalry over the Chinese heritage and the unresolved status of Taiwan. The reports give a balanced picture of the different political and ethnic constituents in Taiwanese history, with information on the Chinese, Japanese and aboriginal communities. ... Read more

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The Son of Taiwan is the first book written by ChenShui-Bian, Taiwan's current president. Chen, the former mayor ofTaipei and second directly elected president of Taiwan, maps out hisvision for the future, his approach for defusing tensions betweenTaiwan and mainland China, and his program for leading Taiwan toestablish a society revitalized with fresh confidence, trust, andfaith.As mayor of Taipei, he proved he could put words into action,transforming Taipei from an ugly duckling into one of Asia's mostlivable cities.Now, as the 10th president of Taiwan (Republic ofChina), Chen is intent on applying his proven formula for therevitalization of Taiwan. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great book, highly recommended
Chen Shui-Bian is the new leader of Asia, he is young (50 years old) compared to all other old Asian leader.He is a modern Cinderella story, a must read for those who wants to understand Asia. ... Read more