This book documents the history of U.S.-Republic of China relations over the past forty years, with the emphasis on the decade from 1979, under the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA). Includes all the important documents concerning American relations with Taiwan, together with illustrative selections of less important documents since the establishment in 1949 of the Republic of China on the island of Taiwan. The major portion of the documents relate to the past decade following the passage by the U.S. Congress of the TRA. This law, which dictates close U.S. relations with a non-recognized nation, offers for examination a unique experiment in American diplomatic history.