Dates of establishment of diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China


Since its founding in 1949, the People's Republic of China has had a diplomatic tug-of-war with its rival in Taiwan, the Republic of China. 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 recognized the ROC while the communist bloc and third world countries generally recognized the PRC. This gradually shifted and today only while the PRC is recognized by the United Nations, 179 UN member states and 1 UN observer around the world. Both the ROC and the PRC maintain 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 was not relocated to Taipei until December 1949. All the countries that recognized the new PRC government in 1949 were communist states.
CountryDate
2 October 1949
2 October 1949
2 October 1949
4 October 1949
5 October 1949
6 October 1949
6 October 1949
4 October 1949
7 October 1949
16 October 1949
27 October 1949
23 November 1949

1950s

CountryDate
India 1 January 1950
Pakistan 4 January 1950
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 6 January 1950
Swiss Confederation 17 January 1950
Democratic Republic of Vietnam 18 January 1950
Republic of Indonesia13 April 1950
Kingdom of Sweden9 May 1950
Kingdom of Denmark11 May 1950
Union of Burma 8 June 1950
Principality of Liechtenstein14 September 1950
Republic of Finland28 October 1950
Kingdom of Norway5 October 1954
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia2 January 1955
Kingdom of Afghanistan 20 January 1955
Kingdom of Nepal 1 August 1955
Republic of Egypt 30 May 1956
Syrian Republic 1 August 1956
Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen 24 September 1956
Ceylon 7 February 1957
Kingdom of Cambodia19 July 1958
Iraqi Republic 25 August 1958
Kingdom of Morocco1 November 1958
Provisional Government of the Algerian Republic 20 December 1958
Republic of the Sudan4 February 1959
Republic of Guinea4 October 1959

1960s

1970s

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. 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

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s