Why Taiwan?: Geostrategic Rationales for China’s Territorial Integrity

為什麼只有臺灣是「中國不可分割的領土」？
為什麼只有臺灣值得中國終須一戰？
為什麼只有臺灣對中國至關重要？

從大清王朝、中華民國到中華人民共和國，臺灣在中國近代數百年來政權的地位經常隨著種種因素而變動，其中最主要的是中國與外部強權的關係，並始終觸發中國領導人「必須控制臺灣才能保障中國大陸安全」的焦慮。

作者認為，中華人民共和國將臺灣納入「想像地理」的一部分，且決心併入臺灣的理路並非出自意識型態，而是根植於視臺灣為中國安全保障之樞紐的確信。本書運用多種史料，包括歷史檔案、政府宣言，以及中華人民共和國分析員和西方學者的各方論著，以追溯中國對臺灣考量的演變過程。首要目標為解釋北京方面何以認為臺灣值得一戰，次要目標是要把中國的軍事化戰略置入歷史脈絡中。第三個重要特點，則是若不考量地緣政治及1949年以前歷史的效應，就無法正確認知臺海紛爭的當前階段。

★ 美國戴維森學院東亞政治學教授　任雪麗（Shelley Rigger）｜專文導讀


Why has the PRC been so determined that Taiwan be part of China? Why, since the 1990s, has Beijing been feverishly developing means to prevail in combat with the U.S. over Taiwan's status? Why is Taiwan worth fighting for? To answer, this book focuses on the territorial dimension of the Taiwan issue and highlights arguments made by PRC analysts about the geostrategic significance of Taiwan, rather than emphasizing the political dispute between Beijing and Taipei. It considers Beijing's quest for Taiwan since 1949 against the backdrop of recurring Chinese anxieties about the island's status since the seventeenth century.

In recent years, the PRC has become dependent on international maritime commerce and has undertaken to expand considerably its navy to ensure access to the sea. PRC analysts concerned about strategy have articulated rationales for eliminating rival influences over Taiwan, the location of which is deemed as critical to China's projection of naval power. This book traces the evolution, explains the appeal, and suggests implications of the geostrategic calculations that pervade PRC strategic considerations of Taiwan.