Abstract:

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) is a geopolitical safety barrier as well as the Third Pole of the earth and the roof of the world in physical geography. At present, there are few studies on the historical geopolitics of the QTP, which is not commensurate with its strategic value. This study focuses on the political geographical facts surrounding and within the QTP in the historical period, and draws the conclusion that "The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is the geopolitical security barrier of China" through multi-scale comparative analysis from two different perspectives of the central dynasty and the local plateau government. Specifically, it has acted as a shield or block against threats from Central Asia and South Asia in history. The existence and impassability of the great plateau made it act as a barrier to invasion from the outside and a crescent to protect the inside, i.e., geopolitical shielding effect. The East Asian continent has the geographical shape of "the plateau behind and the sea before". By contrast, the flat Transoxiana in the Central Asia has been always in various threats from different directions since BC. Nevertheless, this situation changed until modern times, when the new technological revolution led to the invasion of maritime forces. Actually, this has brought new practical challenges for most of Asian countries. The current situation in South Asia is still a continuation of the pattern created by British colonialists since the 19th century. We need to seriously think about how to maintain the security of China's southwest frontier in the long term. However, the topography and geography of the QTP will not change fundamentally in the foreseeable future. In short, the QTP is not only an ecological security barrier for China, but also a geopolitical security barrier for China. The relatively safe development of Chinese civilization over the past two thousand years owes much to the barrier function of the QTP.

Key words: Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, geopolitics, security barrier, shielding effect, the Himalayas

摘要：

青藏高原不仅是自然地理上的地球第三极、世界屋脊，也是地缘政治上的一道安全屏障。目前关于青藏高原的历史地缘政治研究鲜少，与其战略价值不相称。本研究重点论述历史时期围绕青藏高原周边及其内部的政治地理事实，从中原王朝和高原地方政权两个不同视角，多尺度对比分析地理环境与地缘安全的关系，得出“青藏高原是我国的地缘安全屏障”这一结论。具体而言，它在历史上对来自中亚和南亚的威胁起到屏蔽或阻隔的作用。大高原的存在和不可逾越性——喜马拉雅山脉若是“城墙”，则青藏高原就是“城郭”——使得它对外部威胁起到阻挡入侵、对内起到新月形保护的作用，即地缘政治屏蔽效应。东亚大陆具有“背高原而面大海”的地理形便。这种形势直至近代新技术革命导致海洋势力的入侵而发生变化。不过，在可预见的时间里，青藏高原的地貌和地理环境不会发生根本改变。总之，青藏高原不仅是我国的生态安全屏障，也是我国的地缘政治安全屏障。中华文明长达两千年的相对安全发展，很大程度上得益于青藏高原的屏障功能。

关键词: 青藏高原, 地缘政治, 安全屏障, 屏蔽效应, 喜马拉雅山