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Conflict coverage · Taiwan Strait

US recognition switches to Beijing; the defence treaty ends

January 1979Key eventEssential

DiplomaticPolitical

The United States establishes diplomatic relations with the PRC, de-recognises the ROC and terminates the 1954 Mutual Defense Treaty, while stating that it acknowledges the Chinese position that there is one China and Taiwan is part of it.

Why it mattersRecognition of Beijing removed Taiwan's formal security guarantee and set up the improvised replacement that has governed ever since. The precise wording — "acknowledges" rather than "accepts" — remains actively disputed and is the hinge of most legal argument about US policy.
Confidence: HighSources: Taiwan Relations Act and US statutory framework↗ · Established historical recordMethodologyCorrections

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