Jimmy Carter

==== East Asia ====
[[File:Carter DengXiaoping (cropped).jpg|thumb|alt=Carter standing next to Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping|[[Deng Xiaoping]] with Carter in 1979]]
Carter sought closer relations with the People's Republic of China (PRC), continuing the Nixon administration's drastic policy of rapprochement. The two countries increasingly collaborated against the Soviet Union, and the Carter administration tacitly consented to the [[Sino-Vietnamese War|Chinese invasion]] of Vietnam. In December 1978, he announced the United States' intention to formally recognize and establish full diplomatic relations with the PRC starting on January 1, 1979, while severing ties with Taiwan, including revoking a mutual defense treaty with the latter.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Wachman |first=Alan M. |date=1984 |title=Carter's Constitutional Conundrum: An Examination of the President's Unilateral Termination of a Treaty |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/45331164 |journal=The Fletcher Forum |volume=8 |issue=2 |pages=427–457 |jstor=45331164 |issn=0147-0981}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Walsh |first=Edward |date=December 16, 1978 |title=U.S. to Normalize Ties With Peking, End Its Defense Treaty With Taiwan |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1978/12/16/us-to-normalize-ties-with-peking-end-its-defense-treaty-with-taiwan/7d53f81a-865d-4a87-8c32-a0f6f343502c/ |access-date=December 11, 2023 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> In 1979, Carter extended formal diplomatic recognition to the PRC for the first time. This decision led to a boom in trade between the United States and the PRC, which was pursuing economic reforms under the leadership of [[Deng Xiaoping]].<ref>Herring, pp. 839–840.</ref>

After the [[Soviet invasion of Afghanistan]], Carter allowed the sale of military supplies to China and began negotiations to share military intelligence.<ref>Herring, pp. 855–856.</ref> In January 1980, Carter unilaterally revoked the [[Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty]] with the [[Republic of China]] (ROC), which had lost control of [[mainland China]] to the PRC in 1949, but retained control of the [[island of Taiwan]]. Conservative Republicans challenged Carter's abrogation of the treaty in court, but the Supreme Court ruled that the issue was a non-justiciable [[political question]] in ''[[Goldwater v. Carter]]''. The U.S. continued to maintain diplomatic contacts with the ROC through the 1979 [[Taiwan Relations Act]].<ref name="millerforeign">{{cite web|last1=Strong|first1=Robert A.|title=Jimmy Carter: Foreign Affairs|url=https://millercenter.org/president/carter/foreign-affairs|website=Miller Center|date=October 4, 2016|publisher=University of Virginia|access-date=November 21, 2017|archive-date=December 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201031100/https://millercenter.org/president/carter/foreign-affairs|url-status=live}}</ref>

During Carter's presidency, the U.S. continued to support Indonesia as a cold war ally, despite human rights violations in [[East Timor (province)|East Timor]]. The violations followed Indonesia's [[Indonesian invasion of East Timor|December 1975 invasion and occupation]] of East Timor. Under Carter's administration military assistance to Indonesia increased, peaking in 1978.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldpolicy.org/projects/arms/reports/indoarms.html|title=Report: U.S. Arms Transfers to Indonesia 1975–1997|work=World Policy Institute|date=March 1997|access-date=September 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170226181104/http://www.worldpolicy.org/projects/arms/reports/indoarms.html|archive-date=February 26, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Dumbrell |first=John |title=The Carter Presidency: A Re-evaluation |year=1995 |edition=2nd |publisher=Manchester University Press |location=Manchester, England, UK |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2GK7AAAAIAAJ&q=Indonesia&pg=PA187 |pages=187, 191 |isbn=978-0-7190-4693-3 |access-date=March 21, 2022 |archive-date=April 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220410051130/https://books.google.com/books?id=2GK7AAAAIAAJ&q=Indonesia&pg=PA187 |url-status=live }}</ref> This was antithetical to Carter's stated policy of "not selling weapons if it would exacerbate a potential conflict in a region of the world".<ref>{{cite interview |last=Carter |first=Jimmy |subject-link=Jimmy Carter |interviewer=[[Amy Goodman]] |title=Fmr. President Jimmy Carter on "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid," Iraq, Greeting the Shah of Iran at the White House, Selling Weapons to Indonesia During the Occupation of East Timor, and More |url=https://www.democracynow.org/2007/9/10/fmr_president_jimmy_carter_on_palestine |date=September 10, 2007 |work=Democracy Now! |access-date=July 30, 2019 |archive-date=July 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190730232155/https://www.democracynow.org/2007/9/10/fmr_president_jimmy_carter_on_palestine |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ball |first1=Nicole |last2=Lettenberg |first2=Milton |title=The foreign arms sales of the Carter administration |journal=Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists |date=February 1979 |volume=35 |issue=2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GgsAAAAAMBAJ&q=Carter+weapons+sales+Indonesia&pg=PA31 |pages=31–36 |publisher=Educational Foundation for Nuclear Science |doi=10.1080/00963402.1979.11458586 |bibcode=1979BuAtS..35b..31B |access-date=October 28, 2019 |archive-date=February 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210206211240/https://books.google.com/books?id=GgsAAAAAMBAJ&q=Carter+weapons+sales+Indonesia&pg=PA31 |url-status=live }}</ref>

During a news conference on March 9, 1977, Carter reaffirmed his interest in having a gradual withdrawal of American troops from [[Fourth Republic of Korea|South Korea]] and said he wanted South Korea to eventually have "adequate ground forces owned by and controlled by the South Korean government to protect themselves against any intrusion from North Korea."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/the-presidents-news-conference-117 |title=The President's News Conference (9 March 1977) |website=The American Presidency Project |last1=Peters |first1=Gerhard |last2=Woolley |first2=John T. |access-date=September 1, 2021 |archive-date=October 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211011221451/https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/the-presidents-news-conference-117 |url-status=live }}</ref> On May 19, ''[[The Washington Post]]'' quoted Chief of Staff of U.S. forces in South Korea [[John K. Singlaub]] as criticizing Carter's withdrawal of troops from the Korean peninsula. Later that day, Press Secretary Rex Granum announced that Carter had summoned Singlaub to the White House, and confirmed that Carter had seen the ''Washington Post'' article.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/05/20/archives/carter-summons-general-in-korea-over-criticism-of-withdrawal-plan.html |title=Carter Summons General in Korea Over Criticism of Withdrawal Plan |date=May 20, 1977 |access-date=September 1, 2021 |newspaper=The New York Times |archive-date=August 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816120219/https://www.nytimes.com/1977/05/20/archives/carter-summons-general-in-korea-over-criticism-of-withdrawal-plan.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Carter relieved Singlaub of his duties on May 21 after a meeting between the two.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/05/22/archives/carter-disciplines-gen-singlaub-who-attacked-his-policy-on-korea.html |title=Carter Disciplines Gen. Singlaub, Who Attacked His Policy on Korea |first=Bernard |last=Weinraub |work=The New York Times |date=May 22, 1977 |access-date=September 1, 2021 |archive-date=August 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816085328/https://www.nytimes.com/1977/05/22/archives/carter-disciplines-gen-singlaub-who-attacked-his-policy-on-korea.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,914937,00.html |title=Armed Forces: General on the Carpet |date=May 30, 1977 |access-date=September 1, 2021 |magazine=Time |archive-date=October 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211014033517/https://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,914937,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

During a news conference on May 26, 1977, Carter said South Korea could defend itself with reduced American troops in case of conflict.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/05/27/archives/carter-defends-plan-to-reduce-forces-in-korea-carer-defends-plan-to.html |title=Carter Defends Plan to Reduce Forces in Korea |date=May 27, 1977 |access-date=September 9, 2021 |newspaper=The New York Times |archive-date=July 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210702233520/https://www.nytimes.com/1977/05/27/archives/carter-defends-plan-to-reduce-forces-in-korea-carer-defends-plan-to.html |url-status=live }}</ref> From June 30 to July 1, 1979, Carter held meetings with [[president of South Korea]] [[Park Chung Hee]] at the Blue House for a discussion on relations between the U.S. and South Korea as well as Carter's interest in preserving his policy of worldwide tension reduction.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/seoul-republic-korea-joint-communique-issued-the-conclusion-meetings-with-president-park |title=Seoul, Republic of Korea Joint Communiqué Issued at the Conclusion of Meetings With President Park. (1 July 1979) |website=The American Presidency Project |last1=Peters |first1=Gerhard |last2=Woolley |first2=John T. |access-date=September 1, 2021 |archive-date=December 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211212140609/https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/seoul-republic-korea-joint-communique-issued-the-conclusion-meetings-with-president-park |url-status=live }}</ref> On April 21, 1978, Carter announced a reduction in American troops in South Korea scheduled to be released by the end of the year by two-thirds, citing lack of action by Congress in regard to a compensatory aid package for the South Korean government.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/04/22/archives/carter-cuts-total-of-us-troops-to-leave-south-korea-this-year.html |title=Carter Cuts Total of U.S. Troops To Leave South Korea This Year (21 April 1978) |first=Terence |last=Smith |newspaper=The New York Times |date=April 22, 1978 |access-date=September 1, 2021 |archive-date=August 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816183234/https://www.nytimes.com/1978/04/22/archives/carter-cuts-total-of-us-troops-to-leave-south-korea-this-year.html |url-status=live }}</ref>