TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – In “Ghost Nation,” veteran journalist and now author Chris Horton examines Taiwan’s complex journey toward self-definition, democratic reform, and international recognition.
Drawing from historical accounts and contemporary interviews, the book offers a panoramic look at Taiwan’s transformation and global struggle for visibility. The title reflects Taiwan’s contradictory position on the world stage: a vital player in global supply chains and a vibrant democracy, yet excluded from most international organizations.
On Friday, the author sat down for an exclusive interview with Taiwan News.
Ghost Nation
Horton, a correspondent for outlets including The Guardian, The Atlantic, and The New York Times, first encountered Taiwan while reporting in China. After covering the 2014 Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong, he sensed a worsening political climate and moved to Taiwan in 2015.
At first, Horton believed he understood Taiwan, but his conversations with locals revealed otherwise. To bridge the gap, he began reading extensively, including “Formosa Betrayed” by George H. Kerr and “Green Island” by Shawna Yang Ryan.
While both works were deeply informative, Horton noted they lacked coverage of Taiwan’s last two decades of transformation. That omission inspired him to write “Ghost Nation.”
Horton said the book’s title carries a dual meaning: Taiwan’s global invisibility and its spiritual traditions. Despite its prominence in the tech industry, Taiwan is often labeled ambiguously in international media and excluded from the United Nations. Taiwanese nationals cannot enter UN headquarters with their own passports, and their leaders face major barriers when engaging with other democratic nations.
Horton said the democratic world has “ghosted” Taiwan, with its allies failing to fully support it. He also points to Ghost Month, a traditional observance rooted in Chinese folk religion and expanded in Taiwan’s immigrant society.
Once a single-day ritual, it now spans an entire lunar month and honors the wandering spirits of the dead. Horton uses this to symbolize Taiwan’s own ambiguous and often overlooked status in global affairs.
China’s claims and US-Taiwan relations
Horton disputes claims by both the CCP and the KMT that Taiwan has always been part of China. He argues that no Chinese regime, including the Qing dynasty, exercised full control over the island before the KMT’s arrival in 1945.
Horton recalls how the Dutch were expelled from Penghu by the Ming dynasty and redirected to Taiwan, which the Ming did not consider part of its territory. He also cites Mao Zedong’s interview with Edgar Snow in “Red Star Over China,” in which Mao expressed support for Taiwanese independence from Japanese rule. Horton notes that Mao did not speak of Taiwan’s return to China, suggesting there was no firm historical claim.
Both the KMT and CCP are described by Horton as ethnonationalist parties centered on Han Chinese supremacy. Their narrative, he argues, is based on the idea that Taiwan has “always” been Chinese—an assertion he calls historically inaccurate and politically motivated.
Horton writes that the United States played a decisive role in Taiwan’s modern history. After World War II, the US facilitated the KMT’s relocation to Taiwan and treated the island as part of China.
Although the KMT promised to bring democracy, it instead imposed martial law and violently suppressed dissent, most notably during the 1947 February 28 Massacre and the White Terror that followed.
Horton said the US chose not to intervene, instead offering political support to the KMT regime. However, American institutions also helped nurture a generation of activists who, along with the changing attitude in US Congress, would later end martial law and push for democracy.
Horton sees the rise of the DPP and its full control of both the executive and legislative branches as the emergence of Taiwan’s first authentically Taiwanese government.
Becoming Taiwanese
The book opens with President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2016 apology to Taiwan’s Indigenous peoples for centuries of violence and injustice. Horton said he chose this moment to introduce the book because it highlights the island’s colonial past and the evolving definition of Taiwanese identity.
The ceremony took place at the Presidential Office Building, a structure constructed during Japanese rule. With Tsai representing the Republic of China government and an Indigenous priest from a Christian denomination present as part of the delegation, the event reflected Taiwan’s long history of colonization and cultural layering.
Horton includes interviews with figures such as former President Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) and independence advocate Su Beng (史明), both of whom lived under Japanese rule before experiencing the KMT’s authoritarian governance. Their ease in switching between languages, Horton argues, reveals the depth and complexity of Taiwan’s historical experience.
When asked what it means to be Taiwanese, Horton said identity is a process. Before the Dutch arrived in the 17th century, there was no term for “Taiwanese.” He explains that Dutch colonists asked locals in the Tainan region—likely members of the Siraya tribe—what the area was called. The response, likely referring to a specific region, was adopted by the Dutch to name the entire island.
Over time, the idea of who is Taiwanese has expanded. Horton notes that even the waishengren (外省人), who came with Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), have in many cases developed a sense of belonging in Taiwan. Some now identify as both Chinese and Taiwanese, or exclusively as Taiwanese.
However, Horton believes that most Taiwanese today do not wish to be considered Chinese. He cites the 2014 Sunflower Student Movement, when students occupied the Legislative Yuan to protest a trade agreement with China under then-President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).
Horton argues that the movement showed how strongly Taiwanese value their sovereignty and democracy. He recalls Su Beng’s words that the movement “saved Taiwan.”
