Impending Dangers for US China Policy

A PUBLIC opinion poll1 in the Spring of 1977 showed that 79 percent of the respondents favored and 14 percent opposed the establishment of regular diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. On the other hand, only 12 percent favored and 77 percent opposed accepting the condition demanded by Peking for full diplomatic relations, namely, the withdrawal of recognition from the Republic of China on Taiwan. (A similar question in a Gallup poll of 1975 showed 70 percent opposed.) In answer to another question, 84 percent favored continuing full diplomatic relations with the Republic of China. It follows that a policy in accordance with the wishes of the American people should work for what is called the German solution, that is, diplomatic relations with two governments in the same country, each controlling a different part of its territory. So far, the government of the People's Republic of China has refused to accept this solution. But the United States is in a strong bargaining position in this respect, because the advantages of normalization would accrue almost entirely to the PRC. It has been reported that some of America's allies have suggested that the United States should not only insist on maintaining diplomatic relations with the Republic of China on Taiwan, but should also require an improvement in the PRC's treatment of diplomats stationed in Peking. Until the PRC becomes willing to accept normalization on terms acceptable to the American people, the United States has very little to lose and a great deal to gain by waiting; while the abandonment of diplomatic relations with the ROC would have serious disadvantages. A number of officials in the State Department clearly disagree

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