《台灣關係法》(Taiwan Relations Act, TRA)的制定實際上是美國國會為了避免美國與中國建交後,對台灣與台灣人民的權益造成傷害所通過,該法於1979年4月10日經由美國總統簽署後公布而成為美國國內法。《台灣關係法》執行至今已超過30年,經歷了不同時期的國際體系變化,以及美中台三角互動關係的轉變,而該所賦予的彈性解釋空間,使得美國政府均能透過對該法的不同詮釋,維持台海兩岸的和平現狀,並促進美國在此區域的國家利益。近年來,中國在經濟和軍事上的崛起逐漸成為國際關注的議題,美國也開始意識到「中國崛起」對其在亞太地區霸權地位所構成的挑戰,然美國卻面臨長期的經濟衰退與陷於反恐戰爭的泥淖,使得美國國力呈現相對衰退的現象,美國在處理全球性議題也更需要借助於中國的力量予以解決,進而增加了中國在台灣問題上更多的談判籌碼。因此,在面對中國崛起與美國衰退的背景之下,美國欲利用《台灣關係法》維持其在亞太地區之國家利益的空間逐漸縮小,而未來《台灣關係法》在美中台三角關係的轉變下將會遭遇到諸多挑戰,這些挑戰勢必也將成為影響美國對《台灣關係法》之態度與看法的重要因素。 本研究論文嘗試以Kenneth N. Waltz的「結構現實主義」理論觀點,觀察美中台三角關係的轉變對美國對台政策的影響,進而討論《台灣關係法》在面對中國崛起的衝擊下是否將受到影響,而作為美台利益維繫的《台灣關係法》能否維持其重要性,亦或是將可能面臨廢除的危機。
Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) was enacted that U.S. Congress actually in view of avoid establishment of Sino-US diplomatic relations injure Taiwan’s interests. On 10 April 1979, TRA was signed and announced into the U.S. domestic law by the President. TRA has been performed for more than 30 years, it has gone through different periods of change in the international system, and the translations of U.S. - China- Taiwan relations. As a result of the TRA leaves great room for interpretation, the U.S. government through the different interpretations of the TRA that to maintain the status quo on the Taiwan Strait, and promotes U.S. national interests in this area. In recent years, China’s overall performance has been the center of the world, especially the dramatic economic and military growth, the U.S. began to realize that the issue of “the rise of China”, and China's challenge to U.S. hegemony in the Asia-Pacific region. However, the U.S. fall into the economic downturn and the war in Afghanistan, it result in the U.S. power has declined relative to China’s. On global issues, the U.S. needs more China’s power to solve together, and caused China’s has more bargaining clips on the Taiwan issue. Therefore, in the case of the rise of China and the decline of American hegemony, the U.S. government intended to use the TRA to maintain their own national interests in the Asia Pacific region, which will be more difficult than before. In the future, TRA will encounter many difficulties under the translations of U.S. - China- Taiwan relations, which difficulties will be an important factor of affect the attitude of the United States on TRA. This study attempts to base its theoretical foundation on the Structural Realism of Kenneth N. Waltz, and try to observe the influence of U.S. policy toward Taiwan under the translations of U.S. - China- Taiwan relations, and furthermore, to discuss how the rise of China affects TRA. In the future, TRA as a policy to maintain of the interests of Taiwan–United States relations, whether it can continue to shows itself importance, or will be face the crisis of defeat.