Taiwan in Africa: Seven Decades of Certainty and Uncertainties offers a comprehensive exploration of the contours that characterize Taiwan’s relations with, and presence in, Africa. One of the many laudable virtues about this book is that it eschews the China-bashing that one would expect from a book that details the China-Taiwan jostle for international recognition. At the same time, it does not fall into the trap of beatifying Taiwan, despite its entrenched democracy as compared to China’s equally entrenched political system. This book is a gift and a necessity for international relations scholars, academics, historians, and public servants seeking to understand Taiwan’s checkered history with the African continent, and the force of expediency, agency, and realism in determining a country’s choice of international partners.

Emmanuel Matambo, Centre for Africa-China Studies, University of Johannesburg

What has Taiwan done in/for Africa? What can Taiwan do in/for Africa? Taiwan in Africa: Seven Decades of Certainty and Uncertainties answers these questions in great detail. It is informative on past Taiwan-Africa relations and raises questions about future relations, considering China's current One China policy and aggression toward any country that wants to recognize or deal with Taiwan independently. This book is an easy and timely must-read for anyone ignorant of Taiwan's history and impact in Africa. It also provides enough information for a critical debate on whether Taiwan should play a greater role in global politics and economics.

Aje-Ori Agbese, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Thematically and subject-wise, the edited volume is both comprehensive and of great historicity. The dedication, in itself, is remarkably memorable: indeed, “dedicated to two great African scholars and intellectuals, Professor Alaba Ogunsanwo [Nigerian] for his ground-breaking work entitled China’s Policy in Africa 1958–71; and for the late Emmanuel John Hevi [Ghanaian] for his two brilliant books, An African Student in China, and The Dragon’s Embrace: the Chinese Communists and Africa"... Taiwan in Africa: Seven Decades of Certainty and Uncertainties, the 172-page volume, should be of tremendous benefit for students, researchers as well as the general reader in search of very useful discussions centered on China-Taiwan presence in Africa.

African and Asian Studies (AAS)