Since its founding in 1949, the People's Republic of China (PRC) has had a diplomatic tug-of-war with its rival in Taiwan, the Republic of China (ROC). Throughout the Cold War, both governments claimed to be the sole legitimate government of all China and allowed countries to recognize either one or the other. Until the 1970s, most Western countries in the Western Bloc recognized the ROC while the Eastern Bloc and Third World countries generally recognized the PRC. This gradually shifted and today only while the PRC is recognized by the United Nations, as well as 181 UN member states (including 18 G20 member states), Cook Islands, Niue and the State of Palestine. The PRC maintains the requirement of recognizing its view of the One China policy to establish or maintain diplomatic relations.

Recognition of the PRC before it was seated at the UN

1949 The PRC was established on 1 October 1949, when the Chinese Civil War was still underway, and the seat of Government of the Republic of China in Canton was not relocated to Taipei until December 1949. All the countries that recognized the new PRC government in 1949 were communist states.

CountryDate2 October 19494 October 19495 October 19496 October 1949 Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea)6 October 19496 October 19497 October 194916 October 1949 (East Germany)27 October 194923 November 1949

1950s

CountryDate (North Vietnam)18 January 19501 April 195013 April 1950 9 May 195011 May 1950 8 June 195014 September 1950Bilateral relations between Switzerland and China (page visited on 19 August 2014).. 14 September 195028 October 195021 May 195117 June 1954Govt. of India's recognition of the Central People's Govt. of the People's Republic of China and withdrawal of recognition of the Chinese National Govt. New Delhi: China-Japan-Korea Branch, Ministry of External Affairs. 1950. p. 41. Retrieved 31 August 2022 – via National Archives of India. "Reference Pai's telegram No. 22316 dated 1st January. The U.K. High Commissioner has informed us that his Government have decided to recognise the new Government in China on the 6th January."5 October 19542 January 195520 January 19551 August 195530 May 19561 August 1956 (North Yemen)24 September 19567 February 195719 July 195825 August 19581 November 1958 Republic of Algeria20 December 19584 February 19594 October 1959

1960s CountryDate5 July 196028 September 196025 October 1960 Somali Republic14 December 1960 Free Republic of the Congo "Bilateral Relations between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Congo (Kin)". 20 February 196125 April 19619 December 196118 October 196211 December 196314 December 196321 December 196310 January 196427 January 196422 February 196429 September 196429 October 196412 November 196419 July 1965 (South Yemen)31 January 196814 June 1969

1970s CountryDate13 October 197015 October 19706 November 197024 November 197015 December 197010 February 197122 March 197126 March 19716 May 197128 May 197129 July 19714 August 197116 August 1971

Recognition of the PRC after it was seated at the UN The Republic of China, which had occupied China's seat at the United Nations since 1945, was effectively expelled on 25 October 1971, through Resolution 2758 approved in the general assembly of said date. Its seat was taken over by the People's Republic of China from 15 November 1971, and the migration of relations to the PRC soon followed among members of the Western Bloc, except for the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Italy and the Scandinavian Countries which had previously established diplomatic relations.

1970s CountryDate25 October 19712 November 19719 November 197112 November 19717 December 19718 December 197114 December 197131 January 197214 February 197219 February 197213 March 197215 April 197218 May 19725 June 197227 June 197219 September 197229 September 1972 (West Germany)11 October 197214 October 1972 Malagasy Republic6 November 197216 November 197221 November 1972 "Bilateral Relations between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Congo (Kin)". The Kinshasa-side's state was officially named "Republic of Congo" at the time. 24 November 197228 November 197221 December 197222 December 19729 March 197315 September 197315 March 197420 April 197431 May 197420 June 197428 June 197420 July 197415 August 197414 December 19746 January 1975 European Economic Community6 May 19759 June 197525 June 19751 July 197512 July 19754 October 19755 November 19756 November 197513 November 197525 April 197628 May 197630 June 197612 October 197617 February 19777 April 197730 May 197725 May 19789 August 19781 January 19798 January 19798 February 197922 June 1979

1980s CountryDate2 January 19807 February 198018 April 198025 June 198026 March 19821 January 198312 January 19832 March 198330 April 19831 November 19849 July 19851 October 19857 December 1985 6 February 19873 February 19889 July 198820 November 198818 April 198911 September 1989

1990s CountryDate22 March 199021 July 19903 October 199016 November 199011 September 199112 September 199114 September 199130 September 19912 January 19923 January 19924 January 19924 January 19925 January 19926 January 199220 January 199224 January 199230 January 19922 April 19926 April 199212 May 199213 May 19929 June 1992 Republic of Korea (South Korea)24 August 199224 May 199312 October 199329 June 199416 January 19953 April 199523 May 199725 July 19971 September 19971 January 19982 November 1998

2000s CountryDate20 May 200221 July 200231 March 20046 July 20061 June 200712 December 200728 December 2007

2010s CountryDate9 July 201113 June 20171 May 201821 August 201821 September 2019

2020s CountryDate26 March 2023

See also

PRC Foreign relations of China

ROC Foreign relations of Taiwan Timeline of diplomatic relations of the Republic of China

Notes and references Notes

References