Guanqun Li Role of the Taiwan problem in the maritime policy of the People’s Republic of China

Abstract: The Taiwan has great important for the future of China. Unlike the disputes on the Eastern Chinese and Southern Chinese Seas, the issue of Taiwan is a domestic issue of China. The representatives of one nation live on the both sides of the strait, and their unity is the issue of national dignity, perspectives of development of united Chinese nation, taking into the consideration important strategic situation of the isle. The Taiwan problem has historical and political roots, and it is influenced by a number of various factors, including international and domestic ones. It is due to the fact that the Taiwan is an important junction for the Chinese cabotage navigation. The isle of Taiwan serves as a cover for the continental China. Taiwan is situated in the Eastern Chinese Sea about 130 kilometers from the continent. The coasts of the island border the Eastern Chinese Sea on the north, the Southern Chinese and Philippinine Sea on the south and the Pacific Ocean on the east. The length of the isle is 394 kilometers from the north to south, and the width is about 140 kilometers, its area is 35834 square kilometers. The coasts are not much indented, the eastern parts of the island are steep, while the western parts are sloping. The length of the shoreline is 1566 kilometers. The wooded Taiwan mountains are lined along the island, and in the northern part of the island there is a groups of extinct volcanoes. In the western part of the island, there is a coastal value, where 90 percent of the population dwells. Douglas MacArthur called Taiwan “the unsinkable aircraft carrier” and an important part of the first chain of the islands.

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