Description
This thesis explores the trajectory of Taiwan in British foreign policy debates and perceptions in the twenty-five years following Taiwan’s first presidential election in 1996, when Taiwan was a relatively obscure concern in Whitehall, through to 2021 when The Economist labelled Taiwan as ‘the most dangerous place on earth’ and the United Kingdom outlined its ‘Indo-Pacific tilt’. Focusing on framings within parliamentary debates and the perceptions of elite policymakers this thesis outlines how Taiwan has been perceived, constructed and approached in the foreign policy of one of the United States’, Taiwan’s de-facto security guarantor, closest allies. Through analysing the dominant discourses afforded to Taiwan, this thesis seeks to outline the narrative foundations that will guide a British response to escalation in the Taiwan strait. A focus on parliament acknowledges the increasing importance of parliamentary support in the construction of British foreign policy whilst also centring the emergence of a distinct Taiwanese identity as a fundamental shift in Taiwan’s global importance, recognising the influence of Taiwan’s discursive agency in shaping its future and its potency in the context of the ‘mother of parliaments’. There exists a distinct knowledge gap in current foreign policy scholarship on Britain’s role and approach to East Asia and Taiwan specifically, and as such in concentrating on Taiwan directly, this thesis also seeks to make explicit how perceptions of Taiwan in Britain have changed since its democratisation and the manner in which this shift will shape how Britain will appreciate and approach Taiwan as it faces an increasingly assertive China.
