Description
Book SynopsisAs 1979 dawned, President Jimmy Carter extended diplomatic recognition to the People's Republic of China. upending longstanding U.S. foreign policy in Asia. For thirty years after the triumph of Mao's revolution, the United States continued to recognize the claim of the Republic of China, based on Taiwan, to govern the entire country. Intricate economic and cultural relations existed between Washington and Taipei, backed by a Mutual Defense Treaty. While Carter withdrew from the treaty, satisfying a core Chinese condition for diplomatic relations, he presented Congress with legislation to allow other ties with Taiwan to continue unofficially. Many in Congress took issue with the President. Generally supportive of his policy to normalize relations with China, they worried about Taiwan's future. Believing Carter's legislation was incomplete, especially regarding Taiwan's security, they held extensive hearings and lengthy debates, substantially strengthening the bill. The President ensure
Trade ReviewIn this study, Martin B. Gold provides an extremely accurate assessment of the substantial alterations to the Taiwan legislation put forward by the Carter administration and how the final approval in Congress occurred. This is an excellent historical and procedural study. -- Dennis DeConcini, former U.S. Senator from Arizona
The great sage of Senate rules and procedures offers here a scholarly yet accessible case study of the world’s greatest deliberative body in action. As a participant in the events described, I can attest that Martin B. Gold deftly explores the myriad influences on Congress’s consideration of the Taiwan Relations Act. Of particular importance, Gold thoughtfully assesses the process by which Congress improved the bill, thereby ensuring the long term security of U.S. interests in the Western Pacific. As the contemporary Senate seeks a return to its original purposes, Gold reminds us of a time when policies were crafted and ideas considered based on both particular interests and arguments in favor of the common good. -- Orrin Hatch, U.S. Senator from Utah
Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1: The Path to Normalization Chapter 2: Deng Xiaoping Visits America Chapter 3: Hearings in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chapter 4: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee Markup Chapter 5: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee Report Chapter 6: Hearings in the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Chapter 7: House Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Affairs Hearings Chapter 8: The House Committee on Foreign Affairs Report Chapter 9: The Administration’s Taiwan/China Legislative Task Force and Senate Confirmation of Ambassador Leonard Woodcock Chapter 10: The Senate Floor Chapter 11: The Floor of the House of Representatives Chapter 12: The Senate and House Resolve Their Differences Chapter 13: Signing a Bill into Law Chapter 14: The Perilous Question of Treaty Termination Appendix 1: Members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and their Years of Service Appendix 2: Chronology Appendix 3: The Carter Administration’s Legislative Proposal (Introduced by Request)
