Taiwan within two conflicts: Geoconomic success and Geopolitical challenge

پژوهش ‎های جغرافیای سیاسی

Volume 8, Issue 3 - Serial Number 31, December 2023, Pages 19-62   

Document Type: مقالات علمی -پژوهشی

DOI: 10.22067/pg.2023.78569.1166

Authors

Bahador Zarei^{* 1}; Mehdi Mousavi²; Masoud Mosadegh³

¹Associate Professor, Department of Political Geography, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

²Assistant Professor, Department of Geopolitics, Command and Staff University (AJA), Tehran, Iran

³PhD student in political geography, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Taiwan is one of the countries whose political and legal independence is not recognized by the United Nations, and the main reason is China's opposition to this country as an independent political entity in the international arena and institutions such as the United Nations. China considers Taiwan an island owned by a rebellious government within the last seven decades and, like Hong Kong and Macau, it must return to the territory of the great Chinese nation and people, but the United States rejects this view and it has always supported Taiwan and has paved the way for the formation of a geopolitical challenge between the two countries and even the countries of the Pacific region. The purpose of this study is to examine the economic success of Taiwan as the fifth largest economy in Asia and its geopolitical challenge with China and US intervention through cooperation with Taiwan in military, political and economic dimensions in order to achieve its national interests in these dimensions, to use it as a tool against China, to contain and engage China, and to slow down economic and military development, as well as to enable its presence in the Pacific.  A descriptive –analytic research method was used. The data were collected through library research including national and international resources. The findings of this study show that China will not relinquish its rights over Taiwan under any circumstances and will enhance pressure on Taiwan by increasing its military, economic, technological and political power in the national and international arenas to fulfill its aim which is adding Tiwan to China even if through war with  with Taiwan and the United States, By mastering the Pacific logic, the United States will use all its efforts and capacity to prevent Taiwan's accession to China, both domestically and internationally, to control and monitor China. The United States, on the other hand, is committed to defending Taiwan and is willing to pay any price, even a war with China.

Keywords

China; USA; Taiwan challenge; economic success; China -US competition

References

1. Agnew, J., (2003). Geopolitics: Re-visioning World Politics. second ed, London: Routledge
2. Ahmadi, A., Hafez Niya, M.R., Badiei Aznadahi, M., & Heydari Mosulu, T., (2017). Theoretical explanation of geopolitical competition formation platforms. Human geography researches, 50(1), 64-93. [In Persian].
3. Amsden, A., (1979). Taiwans Economoc History: A Case Etatisme and a Challenge to Dependency theory. Modern China, 5(3), 341-379. https://doi.org/10.1177/009770047900500304
4. Azghandi, R.A., & Roshandel. J., (2009). Contemporary military and strategic issues; Tehran: SAMT. [In Persian].
5. Blackwill, R.D., & Harris, J.M., (2016). The lost art of economic statecraft: Restoring an American tradition.Foreign Affair, 95(2), 99-110.
6. Blouet, B., (2001). Geopolitics and Globalization in the Twentieth Century, London: Reaktion Books.
7. Castells, M., (1999). The Rise of the Network Society, Blackwell Ltd, Oxford.
8. CBS News).2022(. Available at: https://www. CBS News.com.
9. gov. (2022). Available at: https://www. Census gov.com.
10. Clapsa, K., (2006). Man, The State, and War. New York: Columbia University Press.
11. Cohen, S.B., (1994).Geopolitics in new world Era, USA: West view press.
12. Congressional Research Service (2020). Taiwan: Select Political and Security Issues. Routledge Publication.
13. Delfrooz, M., (2014) Government and economic development. Tehran: Nash Agh. [in Persian]
14. Doherty, J., & Faltzgraf, R., (2006). Conflicting Theories in International Relations, translated by Alireza Tayyeb and Vahid Ghazari, Tehran: Qoms.
15. Doner, R., Bryan, R., & Dan S., (2005). Systemic vulnerability and Origin of developmental State Norteast and Southeast AsianComporative perspective international organization.East, 52(2), International Organization,59(02):327-361.
16. Doyle, R., (2009). The Roots of war in the 21Century, University of America, UK.
17. Er, l., & Wei, l., (2009). The rise of China and India: A new Asian Drama. London, World Scientific Group.
18. Friedman, G., & Jacob L., (2017). The Geopolitics of 2017 in 4 Maps. (https://geopoliticalfutures.com/wpcontent/ uploads/2015/11/ME_logo_large.jpg)
19. (2021). Available at: https://www. Globaltimes.com.
20. Gray, K., (2019). Taiwan and the geopolitics of late development, The Pacific Review, 24(5), 577–599.
21. Hafez Nia, M.R., (2005).Principles and Concepts of Geopolitics. Mashhad, Papli Publications. [in Persian]
22. Heydari, J., (2010). The issue of Taiwan: disputed areas between China and the United States and China's military-security levers in the direction of annexation. Foreign Policy, 95(24), 1091-1108.
23. Hsueh, L., & Perkins, D.H., (2011). Industrialization and the State: The Changing Role of the Taiwan Government in the Economy, 1945–1998, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
24. org. Available at: https://www. Imf.org
25. com. Available at: https://www. Ing.org
26. Kuehn, D., (2021). Managing the Status Quo: Continuity and Change in the United States' Taiwan Policy.
27. Lemonde Diplomatic. (2021). Available at: https://www. Lemonde Diplomatic.com.
28. Luttwak, E.N., (1990). From geopolitics to geo-economics: Logic of conflict, grammar of commerce.The national interest, (20), 17-23.
29. Merriam-Webster (2019). Available at: https://www. Merriam-Webster.com.
30. Mousavi Shahidi, S.M., (2021). Explanation of geopolitical relations in the Persian Gulf region, PhD thesis, University of Tehran. [in Persian]
31. Nathan, A.J., (2021). Biden’s China Policy: Old Wine in New Bottles?, in: China Report, online first 9 October, https://doi.org/10.1177/00094455211047069
32. Rosecrance, R., (2001). the Virtual State, Brookings Institution Press
33. Shattuck, T.J., (2020). The Race to Zero?: China's Poaching of Taiwan's Diplomatic Allies. Published online 2020, NCBI.
34. Shirzadi, R., (2011). Government and Development in Japan. Political Science Quarterly, No. 22,120-145. [in Persian]
35. (2022). Available at: https://www. Statist.com.
36. Stubbs, R., (2015). Rethinking Asia’s Miracle, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
37. Su, T., (2001). Sharpening the Cutting Edge: Meeting Taiwan New High Tech Challenges. Government Office of Taiwan, Winter.
38. World bank.org. Available at: https://www. World bank.org
39. com. Available at: https://www. Xinhuanet.org
40. Zarei, B., (2018), The 21st century of Asia-Pacific. Tehran: Tehran University Press. [in Persian]