US recognition switches to Beijing; the defence treaty ends — Key Events — Taiwan Strait

What happened

The United States establishes diplomatic relations with the PRC, de-recognises the ROC and terminates the 1954 Mutual Defense Treaty, while stating that it acknowledges the Chinese position that there is one China and Taiwan is part of it.

Recognition of Beijing removed Taiwan's formal security guarantee and set up the improvised replacement that has governed ever since. The precise wording — "acknowledges" rather than "accepts" — remains actively disputed and is the hinge of most legal argument about US policy.

Confidence: High

WhenJanuary 1979

KindDiplomatic · Political

ArenaStatus, sovereignty and recognition

Confidence: High Sources: Taiwan Relations Act and US statutory framework ↗ · Established historical record Methodology Corrections

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Connected records

1 record that this event names, or that name it — every one an explicit reference in a published record, nothing inferred from subject matter.

Actors1

Actor records this event names.

United States

Where this fits

This is one entry in the Taiwan Strait timeline. The full Key Events surface carries every dated turning point with its filters and its essential subset, and this event in place shows what came before and after it. How Vigil grades, dates and sources its claims is set out in the methodology.