Diplomatically speaking, relations between the US and China are “official” and those between the US and Taiwan are “unofficial”. But this does not prevent Washington and Beijing from seeing each other as major adversaries and rivals while Washington and Taipei treat each other as trusted friends and allies. This is despite Washington switching its diplomatic recognition of China from Taipei to Beijing 40 years ago.
The US-China relationship is now often deemed the world’s most important and complicated bilateral relationship, featuring both deep and wide engagement and intense competition. In comparison, since the enactment of the Taiwan Relations Act four decades ago, the US-Taiwan relationship has never been stronger.
