The Warsaw Gambit

Abstract

Once Zhou Enlai accepted Washington’s offer of restarting the negotiations in Warsaw, the clash retreated in urgency. This chapter, exploring developments from late-September to December 1958, wraps up the discussion of the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis. First, it analyses how the PRC, the US and the ROC related to each other and in the international arena in the final months of the crisis. Next, the ways which the PRC responded to third-party proposals from Britain, the Soviets and neutralist Asian countries are explained. It also explores ROC responses to Beijing and Washington’s consolidation of tacit accommodation. Another critical area of inquiry is the PRC-ROC engagement in secret back-channels. Finally, the positions of the three protagonists in the aftermath of the crisis are assessed.