ABSTRACT
The Republican victory under Dwight D. Eisenhower brought a change in US policy toward China and Taiwan. China felt that human rights were not universal but rather defined by each individual nation in view of its particular historical and social conditions. The People's Republic of China (PRC) reaction to the enactment of the Taiwan Relations Act was muted at first, partly because of the complex linkages and partly because President Carter promised to implement the Taiwan Relations Act in ways not contravening the normalization communiqué with the PRC. The basic principles governing the Taiwan issue established during Reagan's term in office remained in place throughout the George Bush presidency. The desire of the Taiwanese to be independent of mainlander Chinese control—Communist or Nationalist—in large measure stems from the heavy-handed Kuomintang rule from 1945 until the 1980s. From the outset, however, the PRC placed conditions on its approach to peaceful reunification.
