中共外交政策走向與選擇

The PRC's Foreign Policy Direction and Choice

中共每隔六年舉行一次的全國代表大會，一向是其揭櫫重大政策的場合；中共國家主席在會中所提的政治報告即觀察中共政情的重要參考來源。比較中共十六大與十五大政治報告中有關對外關係部分的內容可發現，中共外交政策的延續性大於變動性。在影嚮中共外交政策制定的國內與國際兩大制約因素中，國內因素的優先順序高於國際因素，惟國內因素涉及國家發展大戰略，變動性不大，因此促使當前中共外交政策微調，主要來自於國際因素的變動。加入世貿組織後的衝擊與九一一事件後國際戰略情勢的轉變是近期影嚮中共外交政策走向的兩大變數。基於發展的需求，中共積極融入國際社會，在對美關係上，明顯地弱化反霸，而是較過去更加「韜光養晦」。雖然在中共的外部環境中，仍存在對中共不利的因素，主要包括美國在九一一事件後對中共造成的「新圍堵」、兩國在國際戰略議題的立場與利益不一致及美國對中共的戰略敵意並未消除，但中共在對美外交戰略選擇上，卻逐步修正過去採行的制衡策略（即以拉攏俄羅斯共同反霸），代之而起的是更強調與美國維持友好隱定的關係，積極融入國際經濟與安全建制的「搭車」與「超越」策略，透過參與多邊機制運作，力倡新安全觀，對美國實行軟性制衡。

A comparison of the contents of the 16th CPC'S National Congress report regarding the PRC's foreign affairs with that of the 15th National Congress shows that there is more continuity than change. Even so, the change in the international environment still may lead to fine tuning of the PRC's foreign policy.Accession to the WTO and the September 11 incident are the two events that shaped the PRC's new international environment. To further reach its goal of continued economic development, the PRC adopted a new security stategy, in particular in its policy toward the United States. Although China still faces drawbacks caused by the September 11 incident that impeded its relations with the United States, such as the new containment along US borders, differences between the two countries concerning various international strategic issues as well as the US perception of the PRC as a threat, China gradually revised its previous policy of balancing the United States to a more appeasing one, which focused more on common interests and maintaining stable bilateral relations. Its balancing stategy is transformed into so-called 'soft balancing.'