自後冷戰時期迄今，美國因鼓吹全球化而受益，但它必須持續推動全球民主、自由貿易與支持創新。在全球化時代中，美國本身的條件優勢在於它是一個多文化、多族群、多語言的多元化國家。而中國自視為二十一世紀一個可做為世界其他國家模仿的發展典範，則它如何處理與主要強權美國的關係就是一種重要的成功象徵。因此，現今二十一世紀的美中關係中，美國已無法再將經濟作為牽制或對付它的主要競爭者－中國－的手段了，因為中國的經濟已經成功地融入了全球的經濟體系之中了，而且兩國的經濟發展又有一種無法分開的互賴關係存在。因為這樣的關係，也造成了兩國的戰略與安全都受到這種經濟相互依存的限制與挑戰。驅動經濟全球化時代的主要原因是資本自由流動，而開放與解除管制的過程不影響國家安全，是兩國的底線。 二十一世紀美中兩國的互動關係在於雙方必須在全球化下錯縱複雜的關係網絡中求同存異，研究者在規範認知理論以及蘇哈爾的情境建構分析架構下，研究發現促成美中關係未來情境分析的四個因素，將第一組因素的軸線指標一歸納出「合作取向－競爭取向」為主軸，在第二組因素中找出了「時間面向－空間面向」為主要論點。基於這兩組關鍵影響的因素，本章可以歸納出四個美中關係可能的未來的故事背景，並以此為基礎加上一個外卡因素發展出五個未來的情境。提出五個可能的世界情境如下：一、各取所需，二、國王新衣，三、固守堡壘，四、文化衝擊，五、合久必分。因此，本論文的研究發現為美中兩國在全球化時代下的互動本質牽涉到兩國領導人世界觀所產生的規範而有互動上的競爭與合作，雙方在互動過程中的努力，即創造了參與感，儘管有時會出現政策與規範上的矛盾，但對各自在全球化時代角色的規範認知上的求同與存異會因議題領域而產生不同的互動情境。 The purpose of this dissertation is attempting to find the trend and development of Sino-American relations in the era of globalization. For the U.S.-China relations in the era of globalization, the economic political, and cultural globalization can be explored from the dimension of time and space, and the dimensions of cooperation and competition, and cultural globalization. This dissertation attempts to offer the following contributions: (1) to point out how economic, political and cultural globalizations become driving forces to change the essence of Sino-American relations; (2) to give a cultural and global perspective on the analysis and observation of international relations, which traditionally focuses most on political and economic fields. Though remaining competitive in the 21st century, the Sino-American relations have been changing and influenced by economic, political and cultural globalization. The three dimensions analyzed by the norm and perception theoretical framework offer a panorama of patterns of interaction among great powers with the case of Sino-American relations analyzed in this dissertation. The findings of this research can be concluded as the five scenarios: (1) the U.S. and P.R.C. cooperate on the field of world economic affairs in the 21st century because of the intertwined global economy; (2) the model of national development will become more competitive between the two powers because the patterns of great power politics have been changing since the Cold-war era ended in the 1990s; (3) the issues of Taiwan, human right remain sensitive between the two powers; (4) people in the U.S. and P.R.C. tends to have plural cultural identity, called trans-border or borderless cultural identity; (5) the collapse of the Chinese communist party and its impact on the sovereignty of P.R.C. is a wild-card scenario between the U.S.-China relations in the 21st century.
