Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume XVIII, China, 1973–1976

141. Letter From President Ford to Republic of China Premier Jiang Jingguo¹

Washington, January 24, 1976.

Dear Mr. Premier:

Thank you for your letter of October 14.² I am always glad to have your views, and welcome the frankness with which you stated them.

In recognition of your concern over our China policy, I asked Assistant Secretary Habib to proceed to Taiwan from Peking to brief you on my recent visit to the People’s Republic of China. I understand from Mr. Habib that his meeting with you was not only useful and constructive, but also reflected the trust and friendship which has characterized our relationship for these many years.³

As Mr. Habib made clear in the course of his presentation, in our search for better relations with Peking over the past several years, we have shown a prudent regard for the vital interests of your people. You may be assured that as we pursue our goal of normalizing relations with the People’s Republic of China, we will continue to act in this same manner.

I believe our shared recognition of the importance of a prudent and understanding approach to the issues before us represents the best means to ensure the prosperity and well-being of your people and the continuation of the close and valued ties of friendship and cooperation between us.

Sincerely,

Gerald R. Ford

1. Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Presidential Correspondence with Foreign Leaders, 1974–77, Box 1, China, Republic of. No classification marking. The Department of State prepared and submitted to the NSC a draft of this letter. (Memorandum from Jay Taylor to Paul Theis, December 30, 1975; ibid.) The Department sent this letter by telegram to the Embassy in Taipei for delivery to the ROC Government, and pouched the signed copy. (Telegram 19617 to Taipei, January 27; ibid.)
2. Jiang’s attached letter of October 14, 1975, written in anticipation of Kissinger’s October 19–23, 1975, visit to Beijing, warned, “If ‘normalization’ implies eventual diplomatic recognition, it will virtually mean negation of the existence of the Republic of China.” Jiang also avowed that total diplomatic isolation of his country “would entail consequences surpassing in magnitude and gravity the debacle of Indochina.”
3. During their meeting on December 9, 1975, Habib briefed Jiang on Ford’s talks in Beijing, and discussed the overall state of U.S.–ROC relations. (Telegram 7854 from Taipei, December 10; Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Presidential Country Files for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Box 5, Republic of China, State Department Telegrams) On December 26, in a memorandum to Scowcroft recommending rejection of Ambassador Shen’s request for an appointment with the President to discuss the PRC visit, Springsteen noted, “As part of the conditioning process toward the ROC and to avoid arousing the PRC, for the past two years we have restricted Shen’s access to high level U.S. officials.” (Ibid.)