Authors Note: I have taken a week off from writing about Oklahoma politics to instead right about another topic that I care deeply about. My family has lived in Taichung, Taiwan for the last five years. The two years that I lived there I consider some of the best and most important years of my life. Ever since my family moved to Taiwan in 2013 I have acquired a keen interest in the history and politics of this small island nation. This essay is a brief summary of the relation between Taiwan and the United States.

Rudyard Kipling once wrote, “East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet…[1]” For thousands of years, this was true, western civilizations had no direct contact with the civilizations of the east. Over time, this changed as travel became more efficient, and the spread of culture and ideas became easier. Today the East and the West rely on each other and in turn influence the other. Perhaps one of the most significant political developments of the 1970’s was China opening its borders for the first time in thirty years; the repercussions of which are often overlooked. As the People’s Republic of China (China; PRC) emerged as the political power in Asia, they complicated relations between the Republic of China (Taiwan; R.OC.) and the United States, as well as with the rest of the west. U.S. – Taiwan relations, while complicated and often overlooked, have always been and continue to be an important topic in world politics.

To understand that the split in U.S. foreign policy, one must first understand the split of China. In 1949, under the leadership of Mao Zedong (毛泽东), the Chinese Communist party revolted against the Kuomintang led Republican China. The Soviet backed Communist party swiftly defeated the U.S. backed Republicans, forcing Chiang Kai-Shek (蔣中正) and his republican forces, along with two million supporters to flee to the Island of Taiwan. While continuing their hands-off approach, the United States still considered the Republicans under Kai-Shek to be the true China. The China White Paper published in August, 1949, acknowledged the USA’s hand’s off approach, citing that any sort of intervention would have failed[2]. This led many to believe that the U.S. had failed to stop the spread of communism in China.

Chiang Kai-Shek Mao Zedong

The U.S. continued this policy until the next year when the war in Korea broke out. During this time the United States initiated both economic and military aid to the R.O.C., and also stationed the US 7th Fleet to the Taiwan Strait in order to discourage a Chinese invasion of the island[3]. In 1954 the United States and the Republic of China signed the Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty. This document is the embodiment of the Cold War. The treaty guaranteed U.S. military intervention in the event of a Chinese invasion of the islands of Taiwan and Pescadores. The MDT (Mutual Defense Treaty) also prevented the R.O.C. from initiating any military conflict with the P.R.C. This was a key factor in stopping the spread of communism in Asia, as Taiwan to this day continues to have one of the strongest democracies in the region.

The next twenty years saw a strong partnership between the two countries; the U.S. continued economic aid, as well as maintaining a strong military presence through the US Taiwan Defense Command[4]. In 1959 the US State Department released a statement on the United States relation to Taiwan:

“That the provisional capital of the Republic of China has been at Taipei, Taiwan (Formosa) since December 1949; that the Government of the Republic of China exercises authority over the island; that the sovereignty of Formosa has not been transferred to China; and that Formosa is not a part of China as a country, at least not as yet, and not until and unless appropriate treaties are hereafter entered into. Formosa may be said to be a territory or an area occupied and administered by the Government of the Republic of China, but is not officially recognized as being a part of the Republic of China[5].”

As typical of the cold war, the USSR countered U.S. by signing a similar MDT with the PRC. This is a perfect example of the concept, spheres of influence, that was very prevalent during the Cold War. Taiwan served as the U.S.’s buffer to communism in East Asia. Without having the R.O.C. as an ally in Asia, communism would most likely have spread much farther and faster throughout the region.

Throughout the 60’s and 70’s, the two largest communist countries in the world, the USSR and the PRC began to grow apart, both ideologically and in national interest. These conflicts stemmed from the two regimes different interpretations of Marxism and Leninism. This divide widened when Chairman Mao implemented the Cultural Revolution in 1966 in order to prevent the spread of revisionist ideas. Mao believe that these idea’s, which were becoming popular in the USSR at the time would lead to capitalists being able to regain control in both countries. In order to counter this Mao implemented first his Five Year Plan[6] and then the Great Leap Forward[7]. These measures were meant to bring true communism back to China. They established large communes, expand population, and industrialization throughout the country. These measures failed miserably and led to widespread famine and death.

After Mao Zedong’s death in 1976, there was a power struggle between 1976-1978 with Deng Xiaoping becoming the new leader of China. Deng was determined to make widespread political reforms. As a part of these reforms Deng opened up China’s borders to both diplomacy and international trade. These were huge events as the world’s largest nation finally opened its borders after nearly thirty years. These new developments now made relations with the PRC possible. This posed a dilemma for the U.S. and other western governments. The United States had supported the One China Policy since World War II; meaning that official diplomatic relations can only be held with one of the two governments. The question faced by U.S. officials was, continue to have relations with the tiny democratic government that they had been supporting since their governments exile from the mainland, or to open relations with an up and coming world power? Heritage Foundation Taiwan/China specialist John Tkacik likened it to the Chinese proverb, “keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer.”

The change in relations occurred on January 1, 1979, when the U.S. and PRC released a joint communique announcing the move. In this communique, the United States affirmed that they recognized the government of the PRC in Beijing as the official government of China. The U.S. embassy migrated from Taipei to Beijing on March 3, 1979. By recognizing the PRC as the official government of China, the U.S. also stated that the United States would maintain cultural, commercial, and other unofficial relations with the people of Taiwan[8]. Later that year on April 10, President Jimmy Carter signed the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), which allowed for unofficial relations with Taiwan for cultural as well as commercial reasons. All of these relations are handled by the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT). Along with the removal of the U.S. embassy, the U.S. Air Force also pulled out of Taiwan. Many see the One China Policy as the United States government stating that Taiwan is not an independent nation, but is a part of China, as opposed to many who would say that rather, Taiwan is its own sovereign nation.

It is important to realize that the United States holds no official position about the status of Taiwan, but simply acknowledges the One China Policy position on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. The move from Taipei to Beijing can be seen as purely strategic, in the sense that in the fight against Communism, or at this point, the USSR, the PRC was a much stronger ally than the R.O.C. The PRC had a much larger military, economy, and population than the R.O.C. Furthermore, the U.S. was able to keep many of their relationships with Taiwan even after terminating official relations, using the conflict with the USSR as a bargaining chip. According to Tkacik, “President Reagan’s 1980s Cold War partnership with China against the USSR was conditioned upon China not interfering in the US’s substantive relations with Taipei….[9]” To many American politicians, this must have seemed like a win-win; not only would the U.S. continue their relations with Taiwan, albeit on an unofficial basis, but they would also gain a very strong ally. It is a result of this thinking that has led to Taiwan playing the part of a bargaining chip, or a pawn that is continually used as leverage between the world’s two largest superpowers.

Since 1980 U.S.-Taiwan relations have been relatively quiet, despite it still being a controversial subject in the world of international politics. Taiwan’s sovereignty has rarely been commented on by U.S. officials. Until recently, “The Taiwan Question” had been on the back burner of U.S. politics. In 2001 President Bush said that the United States would do “whatever it took” in relation to the defense of Taiwan from a cross-strait invasion[10]. While it was written into the TRA that the U.S. would defend Taiwan in the event of an invasion, President Bush is one of the few to say it outright. Continuing with the current trend of pro-Taiwan politics in the United States, in 2013, President Obama signed into law the Taiwan Policy Act (TPA). The TPA is largely based off of the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act. The TPA is an update on the status of U.S.-Taiwan relations. While not a momentous step, it shows that there is continued support for Taiwan. Even more recently, despite warnings from the PRC, President Obama okayed the sale of $1.8 billion worth of arms to Taiwan, while this is not the first time the United States has sold arms to Taiwan since 1979, it is a step towards possible diplomatic moves.

Despite having zero official diplomatic relations with Taiwan since 1979, the U.S. has managed to keep a good relation with Taiwan. It has been seen throughout the last half of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st, that the United States remains loyal to Taiwan despite feelings of betrayal from the Asian country. This relation has been a highly strategic one, as Taiwan is not only the strongest democracy in Asia, is located in a very strategic part of Asia, and has served as a buffer between the United States and communism since the Cold War. As relations become more strained with the PRC and Russia, Taiwan will become an indispensable ally for the United States and the West.

References

[1] Kipling, Rudyard, and Blanche McManus. Ballad of East and West. New York: M.F. Mansfield and A. Wessels, 1899.

[2] Purifoy, Lewis McCarroll. Harry Truman’s China Policy: McCarthyism and the Diplomacy of Hysteria, 1947-1951. New York: New Viewpoints, 1976., 125-150

[3] Yi-shen, Chen, 陳儀深. “The Korean War and the Fate of Taiwan.” Taipei Times, June 20, 2010. Accessed April 21, 2016. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2010/06/30/2003476734.

[4] Elleman, Bruce A. High Seas Buffer: The Taiwan Patrol Force, 1950-1979. Newport, RI: Naval War College Press, 2012., 17-30

[5] The United States of America. Department of State. Department of State Bulletin. Vol. XXXIX. No. 1017. Washington D.C., 1958.

[6] Shabad, Theodore. 1955. “Communist China’s Five Year Plan”. Far Eastern Survey 24 (12). [University of California Press, Institute of Pacific Relations]: 189–91. doi:10.2307/3023788.

[7] Buck, David D.. 1985. Review of The Origins of the Cultural Revolution 2: The Great Leap Forward, 1958-1960. The History Teacher 19 (1). Society for History Education: 136–38. doi:10.2307/493631.

[8] People’s Republic of China & The United States of America. Joint Communique 1979. Accessed April 22, 2016. http://www.gwytb.gov.cn/en/Special/OneChinaPrinciple/201103/t20110317_1790059.htm.

[9] Tkacik, John J. “Interview with John J. Tkacik.” E-mail interview by author. April 18, 2016.

[10] Sanger, David E. “U.S. WOULD DEFEND TAIWAN, BUSH SAYS.” The New York Times (New York City), April 26, 2001. Accessed April 20, 2016. http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/26/world/us-would-defend-taiwan-bush-says.html?pagewanted=all.