TSR-U.S.

U.S. Policy

The Joint U.S.-China Communique, Shanghai, February 27, 1972

Joint Communique on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the People’s Republic of China and the United States of America, January 1, 1979

U.S.-PRC Joint Communique, August 17, 1982

“Whither China: From Membership to Responsibility?” Robert B. Zoellick, Deputy Secretary of State, Remark to National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, September 21, 2005

U.S.-China Joint Statement 2009. 11. 17

China-Taiwan: Recent Economic, Political and Military Developments Across the Strait and Implications for the United States David B. Shear, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Testimony before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, Mar. 18, 2010

[News] [Papers]
~2004 ; 2005-2006; 2007-2008; 2009

Arms Sales Highlight U.S. Foreign Policy Idealism: AIT Head
(CNA, Jul. 10, 2010) Washington's arms sales to Taiwan shows that the United States' foreign policy still upholds idealism over pragmatism, the top U.S. diplomat in Taiwan said in a speech.

US Rules out Taiwan Free Trade Deal
(AFP, Jul. 7, 2010) The United States has ruled out a free trade agreement with Taiwan amid a dispute over beef imports, days after the island signed a sweeping accord with longtime adversary China.

MOFA to Look into Gates’ Use of ‘Oppose’ in Speech
(Taipei Times, Jun. 11, 2010) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it would look into a recent comment made by US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates that does not appear to be in line with the longstanding US position that it does “not support” Taiwan’s independence. Gates used the word “oppose.”

Taiwan-US FTA Resolution Introduced in Congress
(Taipei Times, May 10, 2010) A new resolution formally calling on US President Barack Obama to move toward a free-trade agreement (FTA) with Taiwan has been introduced into the US Congress.

AIT Welcomes Ma’s CNN Comments
(CNA, May 5, 2010) The United States reacted favorably to President Ma Ying-jeou's recent interview on CNN, while Chinese scholars saw a controversial remark he made as signaling his determination to pursue better ties with China.

Congressmen Support ICAO Observer Status for Taiwan
(Taipei Times, Apr. 24, 2010) A group of US Congressmen are pushing for Taiwan to be awarded “observer status” in the International Civil Aviation Organization.

U.S. Wants Full Local Opening to Beef Imports
(CNA, Mar. 17, 2010) The top U.S. envoy to Taiwan said that the United States is still looking for a full implementation of a beef import deal signed with Taiwan last October.

U.S. Use of ‘Chinese Taipei’ Is Big Warning: Lawmaker
(CNA, Mar. 2, 2010) An opposition lawmaker has demanded that Taiwan's government defend the country's sovereignty by asking the U.S. government for a correction after referring to Taiwan as “Chinese Taipei” for the first time in official usage.

AmCham Calls for Early TIFA Talks
(China Post, Feb. 10, 2010) The American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei has urged the top U.S. official in the next round of trade talks with Taiwan for early scheduling of the bilateral trade negotiations.

AIT Confirms Taiwan Military Plane Refueling in U.S.
(CNA, Jan. 21, 2010) The American Institute in Taiwan confirmed that a Taiwan military aircraft, en route to Haiti on a humanitarian aid mission, was refueling in the United States.

Defense, Beef Ban Unrelated: US Official
(Taipei Times, Jan. 9, 2010) The increasingly fractious beef row between Washington and Taipei will not impact arms sales or other aspects of the bilateral relationship, Assistant US Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific Kurt Campbell said.

Pushing for a Taiwan-US FTA By Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
(Taipei Times, Jul. 16, 2010) Countless ties bind the people and governments of Taiwan and the US. The alliance which has flourished under the Taiwan Relations Act will grow even stronger with a renewed commitment to its principles and to peace and stability in the Western Pacific.

Obama’s National Security Strategy: A Little George Bush, Lots of Bill Clinton By Samuel R. Berger (Washington Post, May 30, 2010) President Obama's national security strategy tackles a delicate but unavoidable question: How do we respond to security challenges in an era of financial distress at home and reordering of political power abroad?

New U.S. Strategy Focuses on Managing Threats By David E. Sanger and Peter Baker (New York Times, May 27, 2010) President Obama’s first formal national security strategy describes a coming era in which the United States will have to learn to live within its limits.

Strengthening People-to-People Relations: The Cornerstone of Taiwan-U.S. Ties By Da-jung Li (The Brookings Institution, May 2010) At the current stage, joining the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, signing a bilateral extradition agreement, renewing the TIFA talks, resuming visits by U.S. cabinet-level officials, and promoting Taiwan culture in the U.S. are high on Taipei’s agenda.

US Backs Warm Cross-Strait Ties By Dennis V. Hickey
(China Daily, Apr. 29, 2010) Officials at the highest levels of the US government have stressed repeatedly that the US welcomes cross-Straits rapprochement. This is because reconciliation between the two sides of the Straits serves American interests in a myriad of ways.

Paal Proposes APEC Invite for Ma Next Year By William Lowther (Taipei Times, Apr. 23, 2010) Douglas Paal, a former director of the AIT, is proposing that President Ma Ying-jeou be invited to the APEC summit to be hosted by the US in Honolulu in November next year.

US, Taiwan Should Cooperate to Thwart PRC: Expert By William Lowther (Taipei Times, Apr. 22, 2010) A new study by Robert Kaplan — to be printed later this month in Foreign Affairs magazine — concludes that Washington and Taipei should work together to make the prospect of war seem “prohibitively costly” to Beijing.

The 2010 QDR and Asia: Messages for the Region By RADM Michael McDevitt (PacNet #12, Pacific Forum, CSIS, Mar. 23, 2010) The very explicit endorsement of the importance of US military presence in East Asia is a significant signal to Asia that the US has no intention of withdrawing from Asia in the face of growing Chinese military capability.

U.S. Floats Plan to Lift Ban on Training Indonesia’s Kopassus Unit By John Pomfret (Washington Post, Mar. 3, 2010) The Obama administration's move reflects a desire to improve ties with Indonesia and other countries in Southeast Asia as part of efforts to counter China's rise.

Obama’s East Asia Policy: So Far, So Good By Ralph A. Cossa
(PacNet #5, Pacific Forum, CSIS, Feb. 4, 2010) US relations with the countries of East Asia are as good or better today than when the Obama administration took office just over one year ago.

Taiwan’s Loss of Independence a Threat to US: Expert By William Lowther (Taipei Times, Jan. 27, 2010) Nancy Tucker, an expert on Taiwan at Georgetown University in Washington, said that the US' place in Asia would “never be the same again.”

Gilley’s ‘Finlandization’ Is Wrong By Nat Bellocchi
(Taipei Times, Jan. 18, 2010) Bruce Gilley’s basic thesis is that the present “rapprochement” between Taiwan and China opens the way for the “Finlandization” of Taiwan, and for the US to allow Taiwan to move from the present US strategic orbit towards China’s sphere of influence.

U.S. Faces Long Odds in Improved Relations with Asia By John Pomfret (Washington Post, Jan. 14, 2010) The Obama administration faces tough odds as it seeks to improve the standing of the United States in a vast region that does more trade with America than any other and that is the home to the biggest U.S. airbase outside the United States.

Clinton Tries to Defuse Asian Tension By Mark Landler
(New York Times, Jan. 13, 2010) With tensions rising between the United States and both Japan and China, Asia has emerged as a diplomatic hornet’s nest, even beyond the perennial threat of North Korea.

Clinton, Starting Trip, Acknowledges Possible Tensions with China By Mark Landler (New York Times, Jan. 12, 2010) Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, embarking on her first diplomatic trip of 2010, acknowledged that relations with China may be entering a rough period.

In Search of the Obama Doctrine By Carlos Lozada
(Washington Post, Jan. 3, 2009) Has an Obama Doctrine been found? And if so, is it any good? Judging from a spate of think tank panels, big-think journal articles and magazine essays by conservatives and liberals alike, the reviews are mixed at best.