During the Chinese Civil War, the United States supported the ruling nationalist government, led by the Kuomintang. The Soviet Union supported the Chinese Communist Party, which eventually took power and established the People’s Republic of China.
The US continued to support the Kuomintang or KMT government after it withdrew to Taiwan following the defeat. The US gave the KMT development aid to build its economy and initially eschewed the People’s Republic as an ideological and military adversary.
But after a diplomatic conflict between Beijing and Moscow in the 1960s – known as the Sino-Soviet split – relations between the US and the People’s Republic began to thaw.
By 1979, the US had joined a growing list of countries to formally transfer diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing.
The One China Policy: In what is known as the “One China” policy, Washington recognizes the People’s Republic of China as China’s only legitimate government. It also recognizes Beijing’s position that Taiwan is part of China. However, the US has never accepted the Communist Party’s claim to sovereignty over the island.
Meanwhile, the US continues to maintain close unofficial ties with Taiwan under the terms of the decades-old Taiwan Relations Act, which facilitates commercial, cultural and other exchanges through the American Institute in Taiwan – the de facto US embassy in Taipei.
Strategic ambiguity: The US maintains close unofficial ties with Taiwan and is legally obliged to provide Taiwan with defensive weapons. But it remains intentionally vague as to whether it would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion, a policy known as “strategic ambiguity.”
This is intended to discourage such an invasion by leaving open the possibility of a US military response. At the same time, it is intended to prevent Taiwan from providing the kind of security that could lead it to declare official independence. The goal is to maintain the status quo and avoid war in Asia — and so far it seems to have worked, allowing Washington to walk the tightrope of relations with both sides.
Biden’s comments: But under Biden, some observers say “strategic ambiguity” has become a little less ambiguous. Since taking office, Biden has said three times that the US would be ready to intervene militarily if the Chinese attack Taiwan, though each time the White House has rushed to reverse its comments.
Read more about the tensions between China and Taiwan here.
