HONG KONG — The value of ambiguity in international diplomacy has long been recognized and widely practiced by such proponents as Henry Kissinger and by Chinese leaders.

In 1979, for example, the United States said it "recognizes the government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government of China" — no ambiguity there — but that it only "acknowledges the Chinese position that there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China."

Without such ambiguity, the U.S. and China might not have been able to agree on establishing diplomatic relations.