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 11 UN member states recognize the ROC while the PRC is recognized by the United Nations, as well as 181 UN member states (including 18 G20 member states[a]), Cook Islands, Niue and the State of Palestine. Both the ROC and the PRC maintain the requirement of recognizing its view of the One China policy to establish or maintain diplomatic relations.
Countries of the world indicating decade diplomatic relations commenced with the PRC: 1949/1950s (dark red), 1960s (red), 1970s (orange), 1980s (beige), 1990s/2000s (yellow), and 2010s/2020s (green). Countries not recognised by or not recognising the PRC are in grey . The PRC itself is in black .
Recognition of the PRC before it was seated at the UN
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.
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.
^ abcOn 6 January 1950, the United Kingdom recognized the PRC and requested the exchange of ambassadors, but this was refused. The UK and The Netherlands established diplomatic relations at chargé d'affaires level with the PRC on 17 June 1954 and 19 November 1954 respectively. The PRC government does not regard the semi-diplomatic relations at chargé d'affaires level as formal diplomatic ties. The UK does. The PRC consented to the exchange of ambassadors with the UK on 13 March 1972 and with The Netherlands on 18 May 1972. See Sino-British relations for further details.
^ abRepublic of Serbia attempted to succeed but all other former Yugoslav Republics deferred the attempt, and no consensus was reached in the first period. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia est. 1992-02-28 was not granted successorship and was placed under international sanctions. In 2001 an Agreement on Succession Issues was signed and reached validity in 2004, by the provisions of that Agreement FRY is not the successor of SFRY. Serbia and Montenegro succeeded the United Nations seat of the FRY (joined the UN as a new member on 2000-11-01) "Succession" of recognition by Serbia, successor state of Serbia and Montenegro is due to international law inadmissible. Arbitration Commission of the Peace Conference on the former Yugoslavia Opinion No. 10 (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia - Serbia and Montenegro). In this decision, the Commission ruled that the FRY (Serbia and Montenegro) could not legally be considered a continuation of the former SFRY, but was rather a new state. Thus the European Community (and the UN) should not automatically recognize the FRY, but apply to it the same criteria applied to the recognition of the other post-SFRY states.
^Relations were suspended on 18 March 1970 when the Khmer Republic established relations with the ROC. Diplomatic ties resumed on 17 April 1975 by the Khmer Rouge government.
^Diplomatic relations were restored on 2 December 1975 by the new Laotian communist government after the former monarchy severed relations on 16 May 1962.
^Tanganyika merged with Zanzibar from 26 April 1964.
^Diplomatic relations were restored on 29 December 1972. Both countries severed diplomatic relations on 3 January 1966 prior to Dahomey resumed diplomatic ties with the ROC on 21 April 1966.
^Senegal resumed diplomatic relations with the ROC on 6 January 1996. Ties with the PRC were severed from 9 January 1996, until 25 October 2005, when ties were resumed.
^Diplomatic relations were restored on 6 August 2006. Diplomatic relations were severed by PRC on 15 August 1997 after Chad resumed diplomatic ties with the ROC on 12 August 1997.
^Diplomatic relations were restored on 26 May 2018. Diplomatic relations were severed by PRC on 4 February 1994 after Burkina Faso resumed diplomatic ties with the ROC on 2 February 1994.
^Diplomatic relations were restored on 13 April 1998. Diplomatic relations were severed by PRC on 31 May 1990 after Guinea-Bissau established diplomatic ties with the ROC on 26 May 1990.
^Diplomatic relations were restored on 19 August 1996. Diplomatic relations were severed by PRC on 19 July 1992 after Niger resumed diplomatic ties with the ROC on 30 June 1992.
^Diplomatic relations were restored on 17 March 2016. Diplomatic relations were severed by PRC on 25 July 1995 after Gambia resumed diplomatic ties with the ROC on 13 July 1995.
^Diplomatic relations were restored on 26 December 2016. Diplomatic relations were severed by PRC on 11 July 1997 after São Tomé and Príncipe established diplomatic ties with the ROC on 6 May 1997.
^Diplomatic relations were restored on 10 August 1993. Liberia resumed diplomatic ties with the ROC on 9 October 1989. Diplomatic relations with the PRC has been severed since 9 September 1997 because the Liberian Government's recognition of a "Two Chinas" Policy. However, the PRC and Liberia normalized their relations on 11 October 2003.
^Diplomatic relations were restored on 27 September 2019. Diplomatic relations were severed by the PRC on 29 November 2003 after Kiribati established diplomatic ties with the ROC on 7 November 2003.
^Diplomatic relations were restored on 12 January 1994. Diplomatic relations were severed by PRC on 7 April 1990 after Lesotho resumed diplomatic ties with the ROC on 5 April 1990.
^Diplomatic relations were restored on 20 January 2005. Diplomatic relations were severed by PRC on 7 August 1989 after Grenada established diplomatic ties with the ROC on 19 July 1989.
^Diplomatic relations were restored on 10 December 2021. Diplomatic relations were severed by PRC on 9 November 1990 after Nicaragua resumed diplomatic ties with the ROC on 6 November 1990.
^Diplomatic relations were severed on 23 October 1989. Belize recognized the ROC on 11 October 1989.
^Diplomatic relations were severed on 11 December 1998. Marshall Islands recognized the ROC on 20 November 1998.
^Recognition extended as the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic from 2 October 1949. Ukraine is the legal successor of the Ukrainian SSR and in accordance to The Law of Ukraine on Succession of Ukraine, Ukraine continues all "rights and duties pursuant to international agreements of Union SSR which do not contradict the Constitution of Ukraine and interests of the Republic".[15]
^Recognition extended as the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic from 2 October 1949. Belarus is the legal successor of the Byelorussian SSR and in the ConstitutionArticle 142: "Laws, decrees and other acts which were applied in the territory of the Republic of Belarus prior to the entry into force of the present Constitution shall apply in the particular parts thereof that are not contrary to the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus."
^Diplomatic relations were severed on 5 May 2007. St. Lucia resumed diplomatic ties with the ROC on 30 April 2007.
^Diplomatic relations were restored on 24 January 2024.[20] Diplomatic relations were severed by the PRC on 31 May 2005 after Nauru resumed diplomatic ties with the ROC on 14 May 2005.
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics[b]
People's Republic of Bulgaria[c]
Romanian People's Republic[d]
Hungarian People's Republic[e]
Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea)
Czechoslovak Republic[f]
Republic of Poland[g]
Mongolian People's Republic[h]
German Democratic Republic[i] (East Germany)
People's Republic of Albania[j]
Republic of Ghana[7]
Republic of Cuba
Republic of Mali[7]
Somali Republic[7][ac]
Republic of the Congo (Stanleyville)[8][ad]
Kingdom of Laos[ae]
Tanganyika[7][ag][ah]
Republic of Uganda[7]
Sultanate of Zanzibar[7][ai]
Republic of Kenya[7]
Kingdom of Burundi[aj][ak]
Tunisian Republic[7]
French Republic[9]
Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville)[7]
Central African Republic[al]
Republic of Zambia[7]
Republic of Dahomey[am][an]
Islamic Republic of Mauritania[7]
People's Republic of South Yemen[ao][x] (South Yemen)
Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam[ap]
Dominion of Canada[aq]
Republic of Equatorial Guinea[7]
Italian Republic
Ethiopian Empire[ar][7]
Republic of Chile
Federal Republic of Nigeria[7]
State of Kuwait
Republic of Cameroon[7]
Republic of San Marino[as]
Republic of Austria
Republic of Sierra Leone[7]
Republic of Turkey
Imperial State of Iran[at]
Republic of Ecuador
Republic of Colombia
Republic of Zimbabwe[7]
Republic of Kiribati[bq]
Republic of Vanuatu
Antigua and Barbuda
People's Republic of Angola[br][7]
Republic of Côte d'Ivoire[7]
Kingdom of Lesotho[bs]
United Arab Emirates
Republic of Bolivia[bt]
Grenada[bu]
Republic of Nicaragua[bv]
Belize[bw]
Eastern Republic of Uruguay
State of Qatar
State of Palestine[bx]
State of Bahrain[by]
Federated States of Micronesia
Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
Republic of Nauru[ck]
Commonwealth of Dominica
Republic of Montenegro[cl]
Republic of Costa Rica
Niue
Republic of Malawi
Republic of South Sudan
Republic of Panama[21]
Dominican Republic[22]
Republic of El Salvador[23]
Solomon Islands
Republic of Honduras[24]
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