Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-gb8f7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T05:59:58.823Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Negotiation Negotiation of the 17 August 1982 U.S.—PRC Arms Communiqué: Beijing's Negotiating Tactics*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 February 2009

Jaw-ling Joanne Chang
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

On 17 August 1982 the United States and the People's Republic of China publicly announced their joint communiqué concerning the question of American arms sales to Taiwan. This agreement was reached after 10 months of negotiations. While reiterating that it was not pursuing a policy of “two Chinas” or “one China, one Taiwan,” the United States offered the following statement on the question of arms sales to Taiwan:

Type
Research Article
Information
The China Quarterly , Volume 125 , March 1991 , pp. 33 - 54
Copyright
Copyright © The China Quarterly 1991

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Iklé, Fred CharlesHow Nations Negotiate (New York: Harper & Row, 1964), p. ixGoogle Scholar.

2. Ibid.

3. Ibid.

4. Ibid. p. 26.

5. Ibid.

6. Ibid. p. 27.

7. Ibid.

8. Ibid. p. 26.

9. Bush, George, “Our Deal With Peking: All Cost, No Benefit,” Washington Post, 24 12 1978, pp. D3–4Google Scholar.

10. U.S. Department of State, “Diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China and future relations with Taiwan,” News Release (Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Public Affairs, Office of Public Communications, 12 1978), p. 2Google Scholar.

11. Brzezinski, Zbigniew, Power and Principle (New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1983), p. 218Google Scholar.

12. Chang, Jaw-ling Joanne, United States-China Normalization: An Evaluation of Foreign Policy Decision Making (Denver, Colorado: Monograph Series in World Affairs, Vol. 22, No. 4, University of Denver, 1986), p. 86Google Scholar. This book is co-published with University of Maryland School of Law, Occasional Papers/Reprints Series in Contemporary Asian Studies, 1986, No. 4.

13. See, for example, Brzezinski, , Power and Principle, pp. 229, 231–32Google Scholar; Carter, Jimmy, Keeping Faith (New York: Bantam Books, 1982), p. 197Google Scholar; Vance, Cyrus, Hard Choices (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1983), p. 115Google Scholar.

14. Interview with Ambassador Leonard Woodcock, 29 July 1985, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

15. Brzezinski, , Power and Principle, p. 231Google Scholar.

16. Interview with Ambassador Woodcock, 29 July 1985. See alsoBrzezinski, , Power and Principle, p. 231Google Scholar.

17. Brzezinski, , Power and Principle, p. 231Google Scholar.

18. Ibid. pp. 231–32.

19. Carter, , Keeping Faith, pp. 209–210Google Scholar.

20. “Establishment of diplomatic relations between China and United States,” Dangdai Zhongguo Waijiao, (China Today: Diplomacy), (Beijing: China Social Sciences Press, 1987), pp. 234–35Google Scholar.

21. For details see Barnett, A. Doak, The FX Decision (Washington, D.C.: The Brookings Institution, 1981), p. 7Google Scholar.

22. “U.S. to let firms discuss sale of FX jet to Taiwan,” Washington Post, 13 June 1980, cited in Barnett, , The FX Decision, p. 12Google Scholar.

23. Text of the New China News Agency report in Foreign Broadcast Information Service, Daily Report: People's Republic of China, 23 June 1980, p. Bl (hereafter cited as FBIS, PRC).

24. Barnett, , The FX Decision, pp. 12–15Google Scholar.

25. “Chinese media criticizes Reagan's statement on Taiwan,” FBIS, PRC, 16 June 1980, p. B3.

26. “Government approves new arms sales to Taiwan,” FBIS, PRC, 23 June 1980, pp. B1–B3.

27. “Bush completes PRC visits, mission called ‘failure,” FBIS, PRC, 25 August 1980, p. B2.

28. MacDonald, Katherine, “Reagan acts to reassure Peking on ties,” Washington Post, 17 08 1980Google Scholar.

29. “Ronald Reagan on U.S. policy toward Asia and the Pacific,” Press Release, Los Angeles, CA, 25 08 1980Google Scholar, cited in Lasater, Martin L., U.S. Policy Toward China's Reunification (Washington, D.C.: Heritage Foundation, 1988), pp. 26–27Google Scholar.

30. Ibid. pp. 27–28.

31. “Reportage, comment on Reagan's Taiwan stand,” People's Daily, FBIS, PRC, 27 August 1980, p. B2.

32. For details, see Shen, Lyushun, “The Washington-Peking controversy over U.S. arms sales to Taiwan: diplomacy of ambiguity and escalation,” in Chiu, Hungdah (ed.), Chinese Yearbook of International Law and Affairs, Vol. 2 (1982) (Chinese Society of International Law-Chinese (Taiwan) Branch of the International Law Association, 1983), pp. 108–109Google Scholar.

33. Haig, Alexander Jr, Caveat (New York: MacMillan, 1984), p. 196Google Scholar.

34. Ibid, p. 198.

35. Ibid. pp. 204, 205.

36. Sterba, James, “Peking warns U.S. on arms for Taiwan,” New York Times, 14 06 1981, p. AlGoogle Scholar.

37. Ibid. pp. 206–207.

38. Ibid. p. 207.

39. Ibid. p. 200.

40. Ibid. p. 208.

41. Interview with David Dean, 28 January 1986, Arlington, Virginia.

42. Haig, , Caveat, p. 208Google Scholar. Liu was deputy chief of staff of the People's Liberation Army.

43. Ibid. p. 209.

44. “Premier Sun rejects reunification bid,” FBIS, PRC, 10 June 1982, p. VI.

45. Ibid. p. 210.

46. Ibid.

47. “Establishment of diplomatic relations between China and United States,” pp. 236–37.

48. Ibid. p. 237.

49. Haig, , Caveat, p. 212Google Scholar.

50. Szulc, Tad, “The Reagan administration's push toward China came from Warsaw,” Los Angeles Times, 17 01 1982, Part IV, pp. 1–2Google Scholar.

51. Ibid. p. 2.

52. Ibid.

53. Ibid.

54. Ibid.; Haig, , Caveat, p. 212Google Scholar.

55. Interview with John Holdridge, 4 February 1986, Bethesda, Maryland.

56. “Establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States,” p. 237.

57. Haig, , Caveat, p. 213Google Scholar.

58. Ibid.

59. For details of congressional opposition see Haig, ibid. pp. 213–14.

60. Ibid. p. 214.

61. Ibid. p. 215.

62. Shen, , “The Washington-Peking controversy over U.S. arms sales to Taiwan,” pp. 110–11Google Scholar.

63. Haig, , Caveat, p. 207Google Scholar; “Where does the crux of the Sino-U.S. relationship lie?” Beijing Review, Vol. 25, No. 15 (12 04 1982), p. 16Google Scholar.

64. “Where does the crux of the Sino-U.S. relationship lie?” p. 17; “Hostile policy will sabotage Sino-U.S. relations,” Beijing Review, Vol. 25, No. 30 (26 07 1982), p. 9Google Scholar; “Sino-U.S. relations,” Beijing Review, Vol. 25, No. 1 (4 01 1982), p. 3Google Scholar.

65. “Where does the crux of the Sino-American relationship lie?” p. 14; “Protest against U.S. ‘two Chinas’ plot,” Beijing Review, Vol. 25, No. 14 (5 04 1982), p. 8Google Scholar; “U.S. ‘Taiwan Relations Act’,” Beijing Review, Vol. 24, No. 2 (12 01 1981) p. 9–11Google Scholar.

66. “Critical point in Sino-U.S. relations,” Beijing Review, Vol. 25, No. 14 (15 03 1982), pp. 10, 11Google Scholar; “Where does the crux of the Sino-American relationship lie?” p. 17; “Protesting U.S. sale of military-related spare parts to Taiwan,” Beijing Review, Vol. 25, No. 17 (12 04 1982), p. 7Google Scholar.

67. “U.S. arms sales to Taiwan violates international law,” Beijing Review, Vol. 25, No. 6 (8 02 1982), p. 11Google Scholar; “Rebuttal of the Call ‘to maintain Taiwan's defence capability’,” Beijing Review, Vol. 25, No. 7 (15 02 1982), p. 10Google Scholar; “Two Chinas' plot impermissible,” Beijing Review, Vol. 25, No. 11 (15 03 1982), p. 9Google Scholar; “Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman's statement on China-U.S. joint communique,” Beijing Review, Vol. 25, No. 34 (23 08 1982), p. 16Google Scholar.

68. “No question of double standards,” Beijing Review, Vol. 25, No. 37 (13 09 1982), p. 3Google Scholar.

69. “Peking envoy to the Hague recalled over sale of subs,” New York Times, 28 February 1981, p. A5.

70. Ibid.

71. “Where does the crux of the Sino-U.S. relationship lie?” p. 17. After the announcement of the 17 August 1982 communique, the PRC tried to justify why Beijing did not downgrade its relations with Washington even though Washington continues to sell arms to Taiwan as follows: “Simply put, the Netherlands arms sales were concluded in a context of no previous sales, whereas the U.S. has undertaken to reduce the sales from larger to smaller amounts, and finally stop the sales altogether. This explains why our government has treated the two countries differently.” Quoted from “No question of double standards,” p. 3.

72. Halpern, A. M., “The influence of revolutionary experience on Communist China's foreign outlook,” in Klatt, Werner, (ed.), The Chinese Model (Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 1965), p. 152Google Scholar. For more detailed discussion of Beijing's negotiating style, see Young, Kenneth T., Negotiating With the Chinese Communists (New York: McGraw-Hill Books, 1968)Google Scholar; Pye, Lucian, Chinese Commercial Negotiating Style (Cambridge: Oelgeschlager, Gunn & Hain, 1982)Google Scholar and Lall, Arthur, How Communist China Negotiates (New York: Columbia University Press, 1968)Google Scholar.

73. Sterba, , “Peking warns U.S. on arms for Taiwan,” p. AlGoogle Scholar.

74. Wu, An-Chia, “Can the Hong Kong settlement serve as a model for Taiwan?” in Chiu, Hungda (ed.), The Future of Hong Kong (New York: Quorum Books, 1987), p. 157Google Scholar.

75. Weisskopf, Michael, “Peking a popular destination for past and present U.S. officials,” Washington Post, 16 08 1981Google Scholar.

76. Sterba, James P., “Peking seems reassured on U.S. ties,” New York Times, 28 03 1981, p. A3Google Scholar; Wren, Christopher S., “U.S.-Peking relations called delicate,” New York Times, 23 11 1981, p. A3Google Scholar.

77. Sterba, James P., “Carter, ending China trip, stresses Taiwan issue,” New York Times, 4 09 1981, p. A2Google Scholar.

78. Ibid.

79. “Cautions on Taiwan issue,” FBIS, PRC, 3 September 1981, p. B4.

80. Sterba, James P., “Carter finds Chinese reassured by Reagan on ties,” New York Times, 29 08 1981, p. A3Google Scholar.

81. Weisskopf, “Peking a popular destination for past and present U.S. officials.”

82. Ibid.

83. “Press reaction to Senator Baker's PRC trip report,” FBIS, PRC, 8 July 1982, pp. VI–V2.

84. Solomon, Richard H., “Friendship and obligation in Chinese negotiating style,” in Binnendijk, Hans (ed.), National Negotiating Styles (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of State, Foreign Service Institute, 1987), p. 11Google Scholar.

85. Haig, , Caveat, p. 214Google Scholar.

86. Ibid.

87. Evans, Rowland and Novak, Robert, “Taiwan turnabout,” Washington Post, 18 01 1982, AllGoogle Scholar.

88. Ibid.

89. Ibid.

90. In March 1983 the State Department set ceilings for arms sales to Taiwan at U.S.$800 million for FY 1983 and U.S.$780 million for FY 1984. U.S. arms sales to Taiwan have decreased each year by around U.S.$20 million since then. The U.S. has not been able to upgrade the quality of arms sales to Taiwan since 1982. For years, Taipei had depended upon the U.S. for arms supplies. It would be very difficult for the ROC to purchase advanced arms from other sources because of Beijing's opposition and lack of formal diplomatic relationships. In the years ahead, Taiwan will have increasing difficulty maintaining an adequate self-defence and deterrence capability without large-scale qualitative improvements in its weapons inventory.

91. For details see testimonies of Holdridge, John H., Rope, William, Ferguson, Donald, and Robinson, Davis R., U.S. Congress House Committee on Foreign Affairs, China-Taiwan: United States Policy, Hearing, 97th Congress, 2nd Session, 18 August 1982 (Washington, D.C.: GPO, 1982), pp. 2–29Google Scholar; U.S. Congress Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Policy Toward China and Taiwan, Hearing, 97th Congress, 2nd Session, 17 August 1982 (Washington, D.C.: GPO, 1982), pp. 1–36Google Scholar; U.S. Congress Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Separation of Powers, Taiwan Communique and Separation of Powers, Hearings, 97th Congress, 2nd Session, 17 and 27 September 1982 (Washington, D.C.: GPO, 1983), pp. 1–314Google Scholar.

92. Haig, , Caveat, p. 209Google Scholar.

93. Garrett, Banning, “China policy and the strategic triangle,” in Oye, Kenneth, Rothchild, Donald and Lieber, Robert (eds.), Eagle Entangled (New York: Longman, 1979), p. 250Google Scholar.

94. Bamett, A. Doak, U.S. Arms Sales: The China-Taiwan Tangle (Washington, D.C.: The Brookings Institution, 1982), p. 38Google Scholar.

95. Hamrin, Carol Lee, “China reassesses the superpowers,” Pacific Affairs, Vol. 56, No. 2 (Summer 1983), p. 209CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

96. Ibid.; Barnett, , U.S. Arms Sales, p. 51Google Scholar.

97. Doder, Dusko, “Soviets propose to Chinese that talks be renewed,” Washington Post, 20 10 1981 inGoogle ScholarBarnett, , U.S. Arms Sales, p. 45Google Scholar.

98. Agence France Press, 20 October 1981 in FBIS, PRC, 20 October 1981, p. Cl in Barnett, U.S. Arms Sales, p. 45 note 98.

99. Agence France Press, 28 December 1981, in FBIS, PRC, 28 December 1981, p. Cl in Barnett, U.S. Arms Sales, p. 45 note 99.

100. Remin ribao (People's Daily), 1 December 1982 in FBIS, PRC, 1 December 1982, p. A4.

101. Barnett, , U.S. Arms Sales, p. 43Google Scholar.

102. Tianri, Tang, “Whither Soviet global strategy?,” NCNA, 6 02 1982Google Scholar, in FBIS, PRC, 8 February 1982, pp. C1–C2 in Barnett, , U.S. Arms Sales, p. 43Google Scholar.

103. Ibid.

104. Pravda and Izvestia, 24 February 1981, in Current Digest of the Soviet Press, Vol. XXXIV, No. 12 (21 04 1982), p. 6Google Scholar, in Berton, Peter, “A turn in Sino-Soviet relations?” in Hsiung, James, (ed.), Beyond China's Independent Foreign Policy (New York: Praeger, 1985), pp. 36, 37, 51 note 37Google Scholar.

105. Radio Beijing, 27 March 1982 and a comment by Xinhua Correspondent in Beijing Review, Vol. 25, No. 14 (5 04 1982), p. 11Google Scholar, in Berton, ibid. pp. 37, 51 note 39.

106. Berton, ibid. p. 38.

107. Ibid. p. 37.

108. Ibid. p. 38.

109. Barnett, , U.S. Arms Sales, p. 51Google Scholar.

110. Ibid.

111. Hamrin, , “China reassesses the superpowers,” pp. 227–28Google Scholar.

112. Karrass, Chester L., Give and Take (New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1984), p. 39Google Scholar.

113. “Establishment of diplomatic relations between China and United States,” p. 238.

114. “U.S. to extend aircraft accord with Taiwan,” FBIS, PRC, 23 August 1982, p. B4.

115. Oberdorfer, Don, “U.S. defers action on arms to Taiwan,” Washington Post, 27 07 1982, p. A30Google Scholar.

116. Interview with a State Department official who participated in the arms sales negotiation, 5 February 1986, Washington, D.C.

117. Schelling, Thomas C., “An essay on bargaining,” in Young, Oran R., (ed.), Bargaining: Formal Theories of Negotiation (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1975), p. 319Google Scholar.

118. Ibid.

119. Iklé, , How Nations Negotiate, pp. 33–34Google Scholar.

120. The interview was conducted on 27 February 1986 in the State Department, Washington, D.C.

121. Ibid.