The United States and China in Power Transition - Strategic Studies ...

• The U.S. side declared: The United States acknowledges
that all Chinese on either side of the
Taiwan Strait maintain there is but one China
and that Taiwan is a part of China. The United
States Government does not challenge that position.
It reaffirms its interest in a peaceful settlement
of the Taiwan question by the Chinese
themselves (italic emphasis added). 71
China’s positions are straightforward. However,
the U.S. terms are carefully worded. The United States
“acknowledges” but does not endorse the Chinese
claims. While the mainland Chinese intend the PRC
to be the “unified China,” the United States holds the
“one China” as an undefined future entity. For the
Chinese leaders, there is only one destiny for Taiwan:
unification with the mainland; it is a matter of “when”
and “how.” But the United States uses the neutral term
of “settlement,” suggesting that the final resolution of
the Taiwan issue can be unification or separation, as
long as it is settled in a peaceful way. This is a “polite”
check on the Chinese intent to “liberate” Taiwan, with
the use of force if necessary.
In spite of the disagreements, the two sides moved
on. Seven years later, President Jimmy Carter took a
giant step to normalize relations with the Beijing government.
At the same time, he also terminated U.S. official
relations with Taiwan and let the defense treaty
expire a year later. Congress was furious with Carter’s
moves (the President took the actions when Congress
was in the Christmas recess) 72 and quickly took countermeasures
to pass the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA)
of 1979 to define U.S. positions and commitments to
the China-Taiwan affairs as follows:
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