U.S.-China Relations

1
U.S.-China Relations

• Institutions
• Ideologies
• Interests

2
Maoist Era (1949 - 1976)

• Main foreign policy makers
• Mao Zedong (CCP and PRC Chairman)
• Zhou Enlai (Premier and Foreign Minister)

3
Cold War

• Alliance with Soviet Union in 1950s
• Mao Zedong lean on one side
• Alliance with Third World in 1960s
• Replaced ROC in United Nations in 1971
• Normalize with United States in 1970s
• Alliance with United States in 1980s

4
Break the Ice in 1970s

• PRC-USA adversary in 1950s and 1960s
• Growing threat from Soviet Union
• Mao said to Edgar Snow in 1970 If Nixon would
  come Ill talk with him
• Ping-pong diplomacy in 1971

5
Nixon in China (1972)
6
Ford in China (1975)
7
Deng Xiaopings Strategies

• One Focus
• economic modernization
• Two themes peace and development
• relatively peaceful world is favorable for
  domestic economic construction
• trade, investment, and economic cooperation

8
Diplomatic Relation (1979)

• 1978-12-16 Joint Communiqué on the
  Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the
  People's Republic of China and the United States
  of America"
• 1979-01-01 P.R. China and the U.S. formally
  established diplomatic relations at ambassadorial
  level

9
Deng Xiaoping visits US
10
Post-Cold War

• PRC perceives a world with only one superpower
  but many great powers
• PRCs principal national interest defined as
  economic modernization
• PRC diplomacy seeks to maintain conditions
  conducive to continued economic growth

11
PRC Strategies since 1996

• Reassure neighbors that Chinas development
  doesnt pose threat but offers opportunities
• Partner (but not ally) with major powers (U.S.,
  Russia, European Union, Japan, etc.)

12
Great Power Partnerships

• Stable relations w/o targeting 3rd party
• Promote extensive economic relations
• Downplay disagreements on domestic issues in the
  interest of working together on matters of shared
  concern
• Routine official visits, especially military
  exchange summit meetings

13
(No Transcript)
14
Cooperative Partnership

• Constructive strategic partnership(1997)
• Cooperative working relationship
• trade and investment
• UN security council
• export controls of military technology
• fight against international terrorism
• contain tensions in Korea and South Asia

15
Taiwan Issue

• Most sensitive issue in PRC-US relations
• 3 US-PRC Joint Communiqués
• 1972, 1978, and 1982
• Taiwan Relations Act (1979)
• Visits to US by high officials from Taiwan
• Does it violate 1978 Communiqué?
• Arms sale to Taiwan
• Does it violate 1982 Communiqué?

16
1972-02-28 Communiqué

• 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
• that Taiwan is a part of China

17
1978-12-16 Communiqué

• Reaffirm the principles agreed on by the two
  sides in the Shanghai Communiqué
• US recognizes the Government of the PRC as the
  sole legal Government of China.

18
1978-12-16 Communiqué

• Within this context, the people of the United
  States will maintain cultural, commercial, and
  other unofficial relations with the people of
  Taiwan

19
Diplomatic Relation (1979)

• The U.S. announced
• the severance of its diplomatic ties with the
  Republic of China (Taiwan)
• the withdrawal of its troops from Taiwan
• the ceasing of the U.S.-R.O.C. Joint Defense
  Treaty
• within 1979

20
1982-08-17 Communiqué

• P.R.C-U.S. Communiqué U.S.
• does not seek to carry out a long-term policy of
  arms sales to Taiwan
• arms sales to Taiwan will not exceed the level of
  those supplied in recent years
• intends gradually to reduce its sale of arms to
  Taiwan, leading, over a period of time, to a
  final resolution

21
Tests of the Partnership

• US bombed PRC embassy in Belgrade in 1999
• Mid-air collision of US and Chinese military
  planes in 2001
• Human rights in China
• Political dissidents
• Religious freedom