On August 17, 1982, President Ronald Reagan and the government of the PRC issued a joint communique focusing on the overall issue of continued U.S. arms transfers to the ROC. A passage from one particularly relevant paragraph, paragraph six, is quoted below: (6) The U.S. government states that it does not seek to carry out a long term policy of arms sales to Taiwan and will not exceed, either in qualitative or in quantitative terms, the level of those supplied in recent years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and China, and that it intends to reduce gradually its sales of arms to Taiwan, leading over a period of time to a final resolution.9 Taken at face value, the Joint Communique would appear to pledge the United States to eschew long-term arms sales to Taiwan, and to keep sales from exceeding either the quality or quantity of arms sold to Taiwan after the U.S. established diplomatic relations with the PRC. The Communique also apparently commits the United States to gradually reduce arms sales to Taiwan.
Reagan and the government of the PRC issued a joint communique one particularly relevant paragraph, paragraph six, is quoted below The U.S. government states that it does not seek to carry out a long term policy of arms sales to Taiwan and will not exceed, either in qualitative or in quantitative terms, level of those supplied in recent years it intends to reduce gradually its sales of arms to Taiwan, leading over a period of time to a final resolution Joint Communique would appear to pledge the United States to eschew long-term arms sales to Taiwan, and to keep sales from exceeding either the quality or quantity of arms sold to Taiwan after the U.S. established diplomatic relations with the PRC commits the United States to gradually reduce arms sales to Taiwan.