國立臺灣大學政治科學論叢

Abstract / Chinese PDF Download

The National Defense Act passed by the National People’s Congress of March 1997 may well cause controversy due to its incompatibility with norms  of  Western  sovereign  states.  Indeed  Chinese  national  defense  is inward  defense  to  the  extent  that  it  aims  to  prevent  a  harmonious  social being  from  splitting.  From  a  postcolonial  perspective,  I  believe  that  the hybrid   influences   in   the   Chinese   public   consciousness   have   cause enormous anxiety among Chinese leaders. Since the enemy resides within, it is impossible to speak strictly of territorially oriented national defense. Inward defense is nevertheless considered so undemocratic that it defeats the purpose of having sovereignty to protect citizens from external threat. However,  inward  defense  exists  in  all  states  albeit  indirect  in  Western states.  The  nature  of  inward  defense  enables  the  Chinese  military  to ironically  lose  or  relinquish  territory  with  a  feeling  of  superiority,  or display  a  compulsive  attachment  to  a  piece  of  land  regardless  of  the sacrifices required. All this performance, in the end, enacts a position of moral  incorruptibility  with  a  spirit  reaching  far  and  beyond  secular territory, therefore reproducing a difference that distinguishes the Chinese from the imperialist Other.