Diplomatic recognition between Washington and Beijing during the Carter presidency and Deng Xiaoping’s leadership. This represents a triple somersault for American diplomacy, recognizing the People’s Republic of China but continuing to maintain close relations with Taiwan, despite no longer having a diplomatic mission in Taipei. Formally, Washington has no obligation to defend Taiwan (nothing akin to NATO’s Article 5), but it helps “the authorities governing Taiwan” defend the territory with direct arms supplies. In practice, the United States accepts the principle that there is only one China (a precondition for the People’s Republic of China), but does everything it can to maintain two.
