President-elect Donald Trump’s call to Taiwanese President Tsai Ying-wen breaks with tradition going back to 1979
Taiwan News
Date: 2016/12/04
By: Taiwan News, Staff Writer
Since the Nationalist forces lead by Chiang Kai-shek fled to Taiwan after being defeated by the
Deng Xiaoping and Jimmy Carter Shaking Hands by White House Photographer, 1979 (NARA)
Communists under Mao Zedong in 1949, two separate governments have been in control of either side of the Taiwan Strait. China considers Taiwan a renegade province within “one China,” and insists that the two eventually unify, by force if necessary. President-elect Donald Trump broke with long-standing U.S.-China diplomatic protocol dating back to 1979, by directly speaking with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, drawing an irritated response from China.
A timeline of China-Taiwan relations:
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January 1979: The U.S. under President Jimmy Carter formally switches diplomatic recognition from the Republic of China (Taiwan) to the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
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January 1979: The People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee of the PRC issued the Message to Compatriots in Taiwan which proposed three measures for the realization of peaceful reunification. [FULL STORY]