认同与台湾问题

National Identity and the Taiwan Question

一个正在崛起的中国使台湾被外国列强分裂出去的可能性降到了历史最低点,台湾社会政治生态的演变已使台湾问题性质超越了传统的国共斗争,日益密切的民间经济和人员交流初步形成了两岸相互依存的关系,因此解决台湾问题已从怎样消灭对方演变为怎样共存。这个问题的关键是怎样以耐心和智慧去赢得人心,亦即赢得台湾民众对两岸统一的国家认同,这是对中国人政治智慧的最大考验。因此,本文以认同的理论范式来分析台湾问题,提出了文化、经济利益和信条三者是国家认同的内涵,并运用翔实的台湾民调资料分析了台湾民众对中国的国家认同的演变,指出近25年来两岸关系的发展变化,在构建文化和经济利益两个方面认同的成效是明显的,但在信条的认同方面仍然存在很大问题。要突破这一问题的困扰,需要与时俱进,跨越传统的国共斗争传统思维,从理论和实践两方面充分展示"谁也不吃掉谁"的和平思维,以市场经济体制、政治民主和法制为内涵的信条认同价值取向,才能兼容台湾自成一体的群体认同,压缩"台独"思想的生存和发展空间,使台湾民众把统一视为具有可塑性的愿景,从而解构把统一视为被吃掉的疑虑。据此,本文提出了实现两岸和平统一的"路线图"设想。从这个意义上而言,认同不仅是对中国是否应该统一而言,而且也是对怎样实现统一而言。

From the historical perspective,the independence of Taiwan supported or assisted by the foreign powers becomes less possible with the rise of China. Meanwhile,the Taiwan Question has surpassed the scope of the traditional political conflict between the CCP and the KMT because of the dramatic changes in Taiwan's political system that have taken place since the late 1980s.Interdependent cross-strait economic relations have been established and enhanced as unofficial economic and personal connections and exchanges between Taiwan and China's Mainland have been growing.All of the changes during the last two decades have transformed the nature of the Taiwan Question from how to defeat the other into how to coexist with the other.As a result,how to patiently and intelligently gain acceptance for reunification among the people on Taiwan has become a key factor in the Taiwan Question.In other words,an important factor now is how to find a way for the two sides to share a common national identity.This will be a test of the political intelligence of the Chinese people across the Taiwan Strait.From the perspective of identity theory,this article explores the national identity that will be acceptable by the people on Taiwan for reunification.It argues that the content of national identity is composed of culture,economic interests,and beliefs.Based on polling information on national identity by the Taiwan media,the article analyzes the development of attitude formation by pepole in Taiwan toward national identity,and points out that with the development of cross-strait exchanges during the last two decades,the two sides are coming to share a common cultural and economic identity,but no common beliefs.Accordingly,the proposition of this article is that in keeping pace with the times,the traditional concept of conflict between the CCP and the KMT no longer makes any sense and the new concept of peaceful coexistence is theoretically and practically possible.Along with this new concept,we should establish market economy,democratic politics,and rule of law as the tenets of the national identity with consideration of Taiwan's social reality.By doing so,people on Taiwan will come to believe that reunification is a prospect that can be molded,and it will dispel their misgivings about reunification.Furthermore,this article proposes a map for peaceful reunification.From this perspective,the question of national identity is not only whether or not to realize reunification,but also how to realize reunification by the two sides.