Adaptation or learning? Identifying parameters of the One China Policy.

摘要

The One China Policy is the U.S. policy toward China and Taiwan. It has three principles: the One China framework, the U.S.-Taiwan unofficial relationship, and the peaceful resolution of the Taiwan issue. For more than two decades, officials of the U.S., China, and Taiwan have repeatedly praised this policy as the prerequisite and the foundation for the positive development of relationships among them. However, their interactions after 1994 that finally resulted in the Taiwan crisis in March 1996 indicate one critical issue: that is, international agreements--formats of congruent political goals and knowledge base--alone cannot assure positive development of relationships among nations. In addition to the overarching principles illustrated in such agreements, they need a set of clear guidelines to produce positive developments and to avoid negative ones.; Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore how interactions among nations can foster cooperation. but not conflict, among these nations. My research questions ask what we can learn from interactions among nations, what these interactions can contribute to the clarification of their espoused principles of interactions, and what functions of such clarification can contribute to a positive development of relationships among them.; This case study examines the functionality of the One China Policy by observing the interactions among the U.S., China, and Taiwan between March 1994 and June 1996. Data sources come from public official documents and news articles of the U.S., China, and Taiwan. The method of inquiry is content analysis and the unit of analysis is the theme embedded in one document. The total collected themes number 3,251. The concept of dynamic direction, an interaction pattern resulting from the inter-dynamics of two opponents, is used for variable enumeration.; The study has three major findings: (1) nations interact with one another with a set of espoused principles, which are difficult to change even though interactions among nations are tense and full of conflicts; (2) interactions among nations can help these nations clarify the obscure nature of their espoused principles; and (3) nations can benefit from the clarified boundaries of the espoused principles to develop positive relationships with one another.