ABSTRACT
In order to understand the importance of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) and the role it plays in relations between the United States (US) and China, the US and Taiwan, and even Beijing and Taipei, it is crucial to appreciate how the sovereignty issue evolved. While the US Congress debated the TRA, Chinese leaders in Beijing complained. In the late 1960s Mao Zedong admitted that the balance of power in Asia was shifting to China's disadvantage, making it less likely that Beijing could recover Taiwan. The Afghanistan invasion bolstered China's bargaining position vis-a-vis both Washington and Moscow, putting Beijing in a unique swing or balancing role in a triangular relationship. During the time of negotiating the Normalization Agreement with the Jimmy Carter Administration, Beijing realized that the US Congress would subsequently pass legislation to fill the void left by Washington's derecognition of Taipei.
