China Policy during Carter's Year One

Abstract

DURING THE 1977 Christmas season, a best selling item in Plains, Georgia, was a cup and saucer set made in Taiwan depicting President Carter and scenes from his home town.' This neatly symbolized the continuing hold that the issue of Taiwan had on the president during a year that saw little if any movement towards the goal of normalizing Sino-American relations. The illusion, fostered by the inauguration of a new administration, that long intractable problems might suddenly become manageable, did not long survive in the area of China policy. Rather, as the administration established its priorities in foreign affairs, China policy slid toward the bottom of the list of issues requiring urgent attention. The high point of the year was a low-key and apparently inconclusive trip to Peking by Secretary of State Vance in late August. As Chinese leaders reiterated their conditions for normalization, Washington apparently believed that it could temporize a while longer before making any difficult decisions. Two things became clearer during the year. One was that more than ever before, China policy had to be considered in the context of America's global posture. The second was that there is no longer a domestic consensus on American policy toward China. Whatever position the administration takes will incur political costs. Thus, what some observers see as an unfortunate policy of drift might more charitably be viewed as prudence in the face of very difficult choices.