Chapter 6: The Geopolitical Watershed of China`s Maritime Powers

Abstract

Taiwan is the geopolitical key point of China`s maritime power strategy. Prior to 2008, “adhering to the One-China policy” had become the catch phrase of foreign leaders who visited China. This indicates that the Taiwan issue is of such importance to China that it has exerted a profound impact on China`s foreign relations. However, different from Hong Kong and Macao, the Taiwan issue is not only placed in a more complex international context, but also prone to being affected by the complicated popular sentiments and political trends of the island. Thereby, on the one hand the Taiwan issue is the internal affair of China; on the other hand, due to the complexity of international affairs, the Taiwan issue has to be examined from the macro perspective of international strategy. And how to deal with the Taiwan issue is a major task which cannot be avoided in the implementation of China`s maritime power strategy.