A fruitful future for the United States and China: Altering the United States-Taiwan relationship

This is an investigation of the delicate trilateral relationship between China, Taiwan, and the United States. Currently, the United States employs a policy of strategic ambiguity to deal with the contentious relationship between China and Taiwan. Strategic ambiguity allows the United States some flexibility in working with the government of China, the People's Republic of China (PRC), and the government of Taiwan, the Republic of China (ROC). Two documents solidified our uncertain relationship with both the PRC and the ROC - the joint communiqué with China, which states that the United States recognizes that the People's Republic of China is the sole and exclusive government of China, and the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), which declares that the United States will defend Taiwan in the case of a military attack. These two declarations have fossilized the tensions in the Taiwan Strait. This thesis argues that the United States is breeding mistrust with both China and Taiwan, and at the same time, China and Taiwan have initiated pseudo-unification through economic and social policies. This investigation recommends that the United States alter its relationship with Taiwan in favor of a more enduring relationship with China. The modification of United States policy is necessary because strategic ambiguity is not a sustainable solution. A change in United States policy regarding Taiwan is also valuable because it is part of an ambitious yet obtainable effort to sustain long-term peace in the Asia-Pacific region.