The
Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations of January 1, 1979, established official relations between the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the
People's Republic of ChinaChina , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
.
Its announcement coincided with the ending of U.S. official recognition of the
Republic of ChinaThe Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
(now commonly known as "Taiwan"), which was announced by President
Jimmy CarterJames Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
in December 1978. Carter also announced the withdrawal of all U.S. military personnel from
TaiwanTaiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
and the end to the
Sino-American Mutual Defense TreatySino-American Mutual Defense Treaty was a treaty between the United States of America and the Republic of China; it was signed on December 2, 1954 at the Zhongshan Hall in Taipei and came into force on March 3, 1955...
signed with the ROC. However, the
Taiwan Relations ActThe Taiwan Relations Act is an act of the United States Congress passed in 1979 after the establishment of diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China and the breaking of relations between the United States and the Republic of China on the island of Taiwan by President Jimmy Carter...
passed shortly thereafter continued to ensure American aid in the defense of Taiwan and unofficial relations in the form of the
American Institute in TaiwanThe American Institute in Taiwan is a non-profit, public corporation established under the auspices of the United States government to serve its interests in Taiwan...
.
Beyond formal recognition, the communiqué reaffirms the principles agreed upon in the
Shanghai CommuniquéThe Joint Communiqué of the United States of America and the People's Republic of China, also known as the Shanghai Communiqué , was an important diplomatic document issued by the United States of America and the People's Republic of China on February 27, 1972 during President Richard Nixon's visit...
, released almost seven years earlier.
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