Nuclear China

Nuclear Released in China

It was during this time that the United States, its allies in NATO and most of the UN national delegations shifted diplomatic recognition of 'China' from the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to the government of the People's Republic of China. The catalyst of this significant change was the fact that in the waning months of 1971, the PRC developed and tested a nuclear weapon, ushering in a third party to the 'Cold War'. Until the texts of the following documents were released, the Republic of China on Taiwan was the official representation of all of China, including that which was governed by the PRC on the mainland. This change is often overlooked as a rather trivial event in the politics of the world at the time. However, it was an act which spawned 34 years and counting of tensions between Taiwan and China and the US and China.