THE MAKING OF THE U.S.-TAIWAN MUTUAL DEFENSE TREATY Jia Qingguo (22) The U.S.-Taiwan Mutual Defense Treaty of 1954 had great impact on the development of Sino-U.S. relationship. Relying on newly released U.S. government documents, the author finds that suggestion for the Treaty originally came from Taiwan, that the Eisenhower Administration at first hesitated at the idea and that the sudden change of events in the Taiwan Straits after July 1954 facilitated the making of the Treaty.