ABSTRACT
The United States ( U.S.) has established effective communication with one of the most important Asian countries, one that in the past had been viewed as the greatest source of instability and threat to US interests in the region. The US could go further and formally recognize the "reality" of Taipei as one of two governments existing in China—an option favored by some of the most outspoken supporters of Taiwan in the US Negotiations between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the US managed to produce an at least temporary compromise that was able to bridge the gaps among the major competing interests. Americans almost certainly continue to disagree strongly about the proper US policy regarding military cooperation with the PRC. Secrecy in China policy is antithetical to the important ideal in US government that the American people, through their representatives in both the executive and legislative branches, should be informed of the full implications of new policies.
