Taiwan Relations Act
The Taiwan Relations Act is a law enacted by the United States Congress on April 10, 1979 , which redefined international relations with the Republic of China (on Taiwan ) after the United States officially established diplomatic relations with the Republic of China on January 1, 1979 under President Jimmy Carter People's Republic of China . Due to Beijing's one-China policy , relations with Taipei had to be broken off pro forma.
The law maintained quasi-diplomatic relations through the opening of a cultural institute, the American Institute in Taiwan . The US also pledged to comply with all international obligations it had entered into with Taiwan before 1979, with the exception of the mutual defense agreement, which expired in 1980.
The law defines Taiwan as the island of Taiwan and the Penghu Islands . Accordingly, the law does not apply to the coastal islands of Kinmen and Matsu , since, unlike Taiwan and the Penghu Islands, they have historically "always" belonged to the Republic of China.
According to the law, the US “regards any measure to determine the future of Taiwan other than through peaceful means, including boycotts and embargoes , as a threat to the western Pacific region and as very worrying for the United States.” It also calls on the US to “ To provide Taiwan with weapons of a defensive nature ”and“ to maintain the US ability to withstand any recourse to violence or other forms of coercion that would endanger the security, or social or economic system, of Taiwan residents. ” However, the United States does not necessarily have to respond militarily to an attack by the People's Republic of China on Taiwan. The Taiwan Relations Act has served several times to justify arms sales to Taiwan, even though the US government has its own form of one-China policy that is not identical to that of the People's Republic.
The People's Republic of China denies the legality of the Taiwan Relations Act and regards it as "unauthorized interference in domestic affairs".
In the late 1990s, the United States, under Bill Clinton, passed a resolution stating that US-Taiwan relations should be determined primarily through the TRA. This means that this law is given a higher priority than the three communiqués with the PRC. Although the United States "take note" of the position of the PRC in terms of Taiwan, applies to the six assurances ( Six Assurances ) in 1982 that the "United States will not recognize a jurisdiction of China on Taiwan".
