Taiwan in US-China relations from 1973 to 1976

Abstract

The US President R.Nixon’s historic visit to China and the establishment of the “Shanghai Communiqué” in 1972 were a breakthrough in US-China relations after nearly three decades of confrontation. From 1973 to 1976, the United States and the People’s Republic of China took steps to normalize relations and establish formal diplomatic relations. This process encountered many difficulties, due to the impacts and influences of many such factors as: Increasing tensions in the Soviet Union and China relations; America’s calculations when deciding to improve relations with China, to use China to pressure the Soviet Union in negotiations on strategic offensive weapons; Intertwining of two trends: Detente and confrontation in Soviet-American relations; Taiwan’s reaction when US-China relations warmed up after the “Shanghai Communiqué”. The purpose of the article is to clarify the Taiwan factor in US-China relations from 1973 to 1976, contributing to pointing out the calculations of national interests of the US and People’s Republic of China leaders during the negotiation process, aiming to mutual recognition and establishment of formal diplomatic relations.