中国の台湾研究者による台湾政策論（2000–2022）―「話語権」をめぐる議論に着目して

抄録

This paper examines how Chinese Taiwanologists evaluate China’s “discursive power” (the influence generated by concepts, logic, values, and ideology in certain narratives) over Taiwan and what challenges they perceive to exist.

When Chinese leaders speak about the inevitability of Taiwan’s unification with China, there usually are two main reasons they cite: People on both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to the “Chinese nation”; and the relations between mainland China and Taiwan have been underpinned by historical and cultural ties. However, Chinese Taiwanonogists are generally pessimistic about the attractiveness of these narratives on Taiwanese people, given that “cultural independence” sentiment that denies the significance of cultural and historical ties between mainland China and Taiwan is overwhelming in the island. Specifically, history research and history education in Taiwan are regarded as two spheres where the influence of “cultural independence” sentiment are most serious.

Some Chinese scholars believe that “cultural independence” sentiment in the island will naturally disappear because it is contrary to the interests of the Taiwanese people themselves, but this kind of optimistic view has become a minority, especially since the establishment of the Tsai Ing-wen administration in 2016. Therefore, many Chinese researchers advocate that China must enhance its discursive power over Taiwan and manipulate public opinion in the island to increase support rate for unification with mainland China.

To achieve that goal, measures such as establishing a historical narrative that stresses the historical and ethnocultural ties between mainland China and Taiwan and promoting a Chinese identity among the Taiwanese people are recommended. On the other hand, some believe that at present, there is little China can do to exert discursive power over Taiwan and expect that “remodeling” and “re-education” of Taiwanese people after unification would be necessary.

It is not clear which of these measures will be adopted, but as long as strengthening China’s “discursive power” is regarded as an important agenda by the CCP leadership, and as long as the Chinese leadership stick to a policy of “heart-to-heart” unification with Taiwan, how to enhance China’s “discursive power” over Taiwanese society will continue to be the important theme of research for Chinese Taiwanologists.