TOPICS COVERED

Class 1:

Orientation and Introduction, First Contacts in Sino-American Relations

- origins of Sino-American relations, the concept of ‘100 years of China’s humiliation’,

basic Chinese geography

Class 2:

Early Contacts during Turmoil in China

- Chinese immigration to the U.S. and its impact on Sino-American relations, rise of nationalism in China, reform movement, fall of the Qing dynasty, formation of modern China - the Founding of the Republic of China (Sun Yat-sen, the KMT, the CCP, Civil War)

Class 3:

U.S.-China Alliance During WWII and Truman’s Loss of China

- U.S. engagement in Civil War, U.S.: "loss of China", establishment of the PRC, U.S. approach to the PRC and to the ROC government, which moved to Taiwan.

Class 4:

Eisenhower and Cross-Strait Tension

- Korean War and Taiwan 1950 - de-neutralization of Taiwan, Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty 1954, Taiwan Straits question, U.S. - PRC Warsaw Talks, 1958

Class 5:

Kennedy, Johnson Administration’s Approach to China

- Kennedy and China’s nuclear program

- Johnson’s China policy in the context of the Vietnam War.

Class 6:

Sino-American Normalization (Nixon)

- China’s ping-pong diplomacy, Mao Zedong-Zhou Enlai’s new attitudes towards the U.S., Nixon’s new China policy, - Shanghai Communiqué, 1972

Class 7:

Political development in Taiwan in the 1950s and 1960s

Class 8:

Establishment of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and the PRC

- Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations, 1978 - 1979, Taiwan Relations Act, 1979.

Class 9:

From Establishment of Diplomatic Relations to Tienanmen

- Reagan and China, Taiwan: Arms sales to Taiwan crisis; August 17 Communiqué, Reagan’s Six Assurances to Taiwan, military cooperation, trade

- Tienanmen Crisis, 1989-1990

Class 10:

Bush 41 and Clinton Administrations and China

- Unstable U.S. - PRC Relations, 1992 - 1994: MFN crisis

- Taiwan Strait Crisis 1995-1996

- Jiang Ze-min’s visit to the U.S., 1997, Clinton’s visit to Beijing and Three Nos Policy

- Taiwan’s Presidential Elections, 2000 - Chen Shui-bian

Class 11:

Developments in Taiwan in 1990s-2000s and relations with Mainland

- Chen Shui-bian, Democratization and pro-independence tendencies in Taiwan, Taiwanisation and desinification, three mini-links and three links, anti-secession law, Taiwan’s presidential elections of 2008 and UN referendum, rise of Ma Ying-jeou.

Class 12:

Bush 43 and Obama Administrations’ approach towards China

- Bush’s Campaign and the issue of Taiwan and PRC, EP-3 incident (2001), arms sales to Taiwan, impact of 9/11 on Sino-American relations. Sino-American relations in the economic crisis, Obama’s approach towards China, arms sales to Taiwan, mil-to-mil, U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, the issue of RMB.