近代以来东西方对台湾在海洋世界中地位的认识

Taiwan's Position in Ocean World as Understood by East and West since Modern Times

要明确台湾对中国的意义,就必须具有更广阔的视域。台湾地处西太平洋航道的中枢,是扼守太平洋航道的中心,具有重要的地缘战略价值。从清代后期海防大讨论后,台湾的重要战略地位就成为了清廷及重臣们的共识,而这种共识也一直延续至今。在对台湾在海洋世界中地位的认识中,尤以日本和美国为典型。通过对此问题的叙述,我们进一步认识到,要维护国家主权,要成为新世纪的强国,中国就必须解决台湾问题。

A better understanding of what Taiwan means to China must be based on broader horizons. Taiwan＇ s geographical location as a hub of the sea-lanes in the Western Pacific makes it an island of great geo- strategic importance. After the debate on naval defense in the late Qing dynasty （1644 -1911 ）, Taiwan＇ s strategic position became a consensus of the then government and amongst its high-ranking officials, and that view has been shared up to today. As to the understanding of Taiwan＇ s position in the ocean world, Japan and the United States are typical of the East and the West respectively. The present study concludes that China must settle the Taiwan Question in order to protect its sovereignty and become a great power in the new century.