One-China Policy
Three Communiqués and the Six Assurances
The US "one-China" policy is distinct from China's "one-China principle." It is built on three US-China Joint Communiqués and is qualified by a separate, less-known set of assurances given directly to Taiwan.
- Three US-China Joint Communiqués: 1972 (Shanghai Communiqué, acknowledging the Chinese position that there is one China without endorsing it), 1978 (Normalization Communiqué, establishing diplomatic relations with Beijing), and 1982 (August 17 Communiqué, in which the US stated it did not seek a long-term policy of arms sales to Taiwan and would gradually reduce them)
- To offset the 1982 Communiqué's arms-reduction language, the Reagan administration delivered the "Six Assurances" to Taiwan on July 14, 1982 — including that the US would not set a date for ending arms sales, would not consult Beijing in advance on Taiwan arms sales, and would not recognise Chinese sovereignty over Taiwan
- The US one-China policy therefore differs from a full diplomatic "one-China principle": Washington "acknowledges" but does not explicitly endorse Beijing's sovereignty claim over Taiwan
- India separately maintains its own "one-China" policy in bilateral statements with Beijing, a comparative point occasionally tested in IR current affairs
● Tracked since April 22, 2026 · last seen September 23, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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