1st Edition

The China Quandary Domestic Determinants Of U.s. China Policy, 19721982

By Robert G Sutter Copyright 1984
    194 Pages
    by Routledge

    208 Pages
    by Routledge

    Although the United States has established formal diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China (PRC), achieving major advances in economic and cultural relations, it continues to be bedevilled by serious dilemmas regarding such issues as future relations with Taiwan, U.S.-PRC military ties, the extent and type of U.S. aid to China, and the need for secrecy in U.S. China policy versus traditional American demands for "open" diplomacy. U.S. scholars have been clear about the international factors influencing current U.S.-PRC relations; however, the domestic political factors that have contributed in a major way to the creation of the dilemmas we face in formulating China policy today remain poorly understood. This book concentrates on these domestic determinants of recent U.S. China policy. Pointing to the compromises and contradictions in policy choices made by leaders who have sharply differing conceptions of the goals of policy and their appropriate implementation, Dr. Sutter draws on a wide array of recent U.S. government publications and more than one hundred interviews with officials of the Carter and Reagan administrations and Congress to examine differences in views, divergencies in policy approaches, and the confusion that results. He specifically treats key issues such as the Taiwan Relations Act and possible U.S. arms sales to China, as well as summarizing and assessing domestic and foreign policy interests of the United States in relation to China and offering policy options for the problems that lie ahead.

    Also of Interest -- Preface -- Dilemmas in Contemporary U.S. China Policy -- China Policy during the Nixon and Ford Administrations -- American Debate over China Policy on the Eve of U.S.-PRC Normalization -- Congressional-Executive Friction over China Policy, 1978-1980 -- Conflicting Assessments of Congressional and Administration Officials over China Policy -- Debate over U.S. Military Sales to China, 1980-1981 -- The Economic Factor in the Evolution of U.S. China Policy, 1971-1981 -- Conclusion: Options for the United States

    Biography

    Robert G. Sutter