The liaison office in 1973. Source: Priscilla Roberts, David Bruce in China, 1973-1974. Occasional paper No. 1. Keele: David Bruce Centre for American Studies, Keele University, 1999

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The first Liaison Offices were established in Beijing and Washington. These functioned as informal diplomatic posts during the years prior to normalization. However, for several years the United States continued to maintain its embassy in Taiwan.