Three Communiqués

The Three Communiqués are the foundational bilateral documents governing relations between the United States and the People's Republic of China (PRC). Together with the Taiwan Relations Act (1979) and the so-called "Six Assurances" (1982), they constitute the framework Washington cites when articulating its One China policy—a position distinct from Beijing's "One China principle."

The three documents are:

• Shanghai Communiqué (February 28, 1972) — Signed during President Richard Nixon's visit to China and negotiated with Premier Zhou Enlai. The US "acknowledged" that "all Chinese on either side of the Taiwan Strait maintain there is but one China and that Taiwan is a part of China" and stated it did not challenge that position. It opened the path to normalization after more than two decades of estrangement.

• Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations (January 1, 1979) — Under President Jimmy Carter, the US formally recognized the PRC as the "sole legal Government of China," severed official diplomatic ties with the Republic of China on Taiwan, and terminated the 1954 Mutual Defense Treaty with Taipei. The US again acknowledged the Chinese position on Taiwan.

• August 17 Communiqué (1982) — Signed under President Ronald Reagan, it addressed US arms sales to Taiwan. The US stated it did not seek a long-term policy of arms sales and intended to reduce them gradually, while the PRC reaffirmed a "fundamental policy" of striving for peaceful reunification. Reagan privately conditioned this on Beijing's commitment to peaceful resolution and issued the Six Assurances to Taipei the same year.

Interpretive disputes persist. Beijing reads the communiqués as US endorsement of eventual reunification and a binding cap on arms sales; Washington emphasizes the verb "acknowledge" (not "recognize" or "endorse") regarding Taiwan's status and links the 1982 commitments to PRC restraint. The documents remain frequently invoked in contemporary Taiwan Strait diplomacy.