Foreword 2

Why Taiwan matters for the world 2

The hard military problem of Taiwan 2

Why Taiwan matters for Australia 3

The purpose of this essay series 4

Introduction: Taiwan matters 5

The story of Taiwan 5

The forces that act upon Taiwan 5

Taiwan’s agency 6

The importance of Taiwan 7

As a democracy 7

As a trading partner 8

As a ‘sponge’ for China’s military 9

To the international order 10

The impact of a crisis 12

On trade and livelihoods 12

On foreign nationals living in Taiwan 13

On transnational repression 14

On regional balance 16

Conclusion: Implications for Australia and defence 18

Acronyms and abbreviations 21