本文藉由分析台灣石化工業的發展過程，發現小國的經濟發展在在難免於大國與跨國企業的影響，小國必須藉助優秀的技術官僚擬定適當的發展策略、藉由大國之間與跨國企業之間的競爭來牟取本國的最大利益。 同時也發現，在中國開展外交大門之前，台灣在外交順遂的情況下，國府乃能以發展經濟為重，而有了不錯的成果。然隨著中國逐步踏上世界舞台，台灣的外交也隨著退出聯合國、中美斷交而日益困頓、危機感日益強烈，此時小有成就的經濟實力，一度成了台灣用來突破外交困境的工具，顯現經貿大國仍將受困於政治小國的客觀事實，而台灣這階段中的經濟措施明顯與「小國較大國重視經濟議題」的假設有所衝突。 國際政治經濟學途徑在分析國家之間互動的動態過程是什麼，能客觀的觀照事實面；但國家為何選擇這樣的作為、小國如何突破自身的限制，小國的觀點較可能有貼近、同情的瞭解。本文即是這樣的一個嚐試。

This paper attempts to analyze the adjustment and interaction of the economy and the foreign affairs about small attars, by searching for the process about the development of Taiwan's petrochemical industry. The major findings of this paper are first, the Small States are much influenced by Big States and international firms, and in this context their foreign policies and economy policies reflect great-power manipulation. Small States can convince the constraints by appealing to the special arrangement of political economy institution, the bureaucratic capacity, the tactics of developing, and exploit competing great-power interests. Second, Taiwan can develop economy fully in the age of diplomatic relations with America, achieve the so call〝Taiwan Miracle〞,and the bureaucratic play very important roles in the critical period. But America develop dénte-policy in the last 1960, this fact led Taiwan to lose the space of diplomacy step by step, and has to expend the space of diplomacy by mean of exploiting the sources of economy.

小國;小國外交;小國經濟;國際政治經濟;外資;台灣;石化工業

small states; the economy of small states; the foreign affairs of small states; international political economy; foreign capital; Taiwan; petrochemical industry