The Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations of January 1, 1979, established official relations between the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

(commonly called "China"). Its announcement coincided with the ending of U.S. official recognition of the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

(now commonly known as "Taiwan"), which was announced by President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

in December 1978. Carter also announced the withdrawal of all U.S. military personnel from

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

and the end of the

Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty The Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty (SAMDT), formally Mutual Defense Treaty between the United States of America and the Republic of China, was a defense pact signed between the United States and the Republic of China (Taiwan) effective from ...

signed with the ROC. However, the Taiwan Relations Act passed by the unequivocal support of

US Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washingto ...

(and signed by the

Carter Administration Jimmy Carter's tenure as the 39th president of the United States began with his inauguration on January 20, 1977, and ended on January 20, 1981. A Democrat from Georgia, Carter took office after defeating incumbent Republican President ...

) shortly thereafter continued to provide the legal framework as a US domestic law to maintain commercial, cultural, and other relations without official Government representation and without diplomatic relations of the unofficial relations in the form of the American Institute in Taiwan. Beyond formal recognition, the communiqué reaffirms the principles agreed upon in the

Shanghai Communiqué The Joint Communiqué of the United States of America and the People's Republic of China, also known as the Shanghai Communiqué (1972), was a diplomatic document issued by the United States of America and the People's Republic of China on Febru ...

, released almost seven years earlier.

References

External links

Full Text of Communiqué
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joint Communique on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations 1979 in the United States 1979 in China Cold War treaties China–United States relations Taiwan–United States relations Cross-Strait relations Treaties concluded in 1979 Treaties entered into force in 1979 Treaties of the People's Republic of China Treaties of the United States Presidency of Jimmy Carter

See also

References

External links