Dates of establishment of diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China
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 countries recognized the Republic of China on Taiwan while the communist bloc recognized the People's Republic of China. This gradually shifted and only 26 countries recognize the ROC while the PRC is recognized by over 160. The PRC maintains the requirement of recognizing its view of the One-China Policy to establish diplomatic relations.
Table of contents |
1940s
As the Chinese Civil War was still underway (Chiang Kai-shek did not move the ROC government to Taiwan until December 1949), all the countries that recognized the new PRC government were Communist states.
| Country | Date | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soviet Union1 | October 2, 1949 | |
| 2 | Bulgaria | October 4, 1949 | |
| 3 | Romania | October 5, 1949 | |
| 4 | Yugoslavia2 | October 5, 1949 | |
| 5 | Czechoslovakia3 | October 6, 1949 | |
| 6 | Democratic Peoples Republic of (North) Korea | October 6, 1949 | |
| 7 | Hungary | October 6, 1949 | |
| 8 | Poland | October 7, 1949 | |
| 9 | Mongolia | October 16, 1949 | |
| 10 | Albania | November 23, 1949 |
1950s
| Country | Date | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | United Kingdom4 | January 6, 1950 | |
| 12 | Denmark | January 9, 1950 | |
| 13 | Finland | January 13, 1950 | |
| 14 | Switzerland | January 17, 1950 | |
| 15 | Socialist Republic of Vietnam | January 18, 1950 | |
| 16 | India | April 1, 1950 | |
| 17 | Indonesia | April 13, 1950 | |
| 18 | Sweden | May 9, 1950 | |
| 19 | Myanmar | June 8, 1950 | |
| 20 | Liechtenstein | September 14, 1950 | |
| 21 | Pakistan | May 21, 1951 | |
| 22 | Norway | October 5, 1954 | |
| 23 | Afghanistan | January 20, 1955 | |
| 24 | Nepal | August 1, 1955 | |
| 25 | Egypt | May 30, 1956 | |
| 26 | Syria | August 1, 1956 | |
| 27 | Yemen | September 24, 1956 | |
| 28 | Sri Lanka | February 7, 1957 | |
| 29 | Cambodia | July 19, 1958 | |
| 30 | Iraq | August 25, 1958 | |
| 31 | Morocco | November 1, 1958 | |
| 32 | Algeria | December 20, 1958 | |
| 33 | Sudan | February 4, 1959 | |
| 34 | Guinea | October 14, 1959 |
1960s
| Country | Date | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | Zaire (now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo) | June 30, 1960 | |
| 36 | Cuba | September 28, 1960 | |
| 37 | Mali | October 25, 1960 | |
| 38 | Somalia | December 14, 1960 | |
| 39 | Laos | April 25, 1961 | |
| 40 | Uganda | October 18, 1962 | |
| 41 | Kenya | December 14, 1963 | |
| 42 | Burundi5 | December 21, 1963 | |
| 43 | Tunisia | January 10, 1964 | |
| 44 | France | January 27, 1964 | |
| 45 | Republic of Congo | February 22, 1964 | |
| 46 | Tanzania6 | April 26, 1964 | |
| 47 | Central African Republic7 | September 29, 1964 | |
| 48 | Zambia | October 29, 1964 | |
| 49 | Benin8 | November 12, 1964 | |
| 50 | Italy | November 30, 1964 | |
| 51 | Mauritania | July 19, 1965 |
1970s
The ROC was in effect, expelled from the UN in 1971 and the migration of relations to the PRC soon followed among the western bloc.
1980s
| Country | Date | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 115 | Ecuador | January 2, 1980 | |
| 116 | Colombia | February 7, 1980 | |
| 117 | Zimbabwe | April 18, 1980 | |
| 118 | Kiribati 15 | June 25, 1980 | |
| 119 | Vanuatu | March 26, 1982 | |
| 120 | Antigua and Barbuda | January 1, 1983 | |
| 121 | Angola | January 12, 1983 | |
| 122 | Côte d'Ivoire | March 2, 1983 | |
| 123 | Lesotho16 | April 30, 1983 | |
| 124 | United Arab Emirates | November 1, 1984 | |
| 125 | Bolivia | July 9, 1985 | |
| 126 | Uruguay | February 3, 1988 | |
| 127 | Qatar | July 6, 1988 | |
| 128 | Bahrain | April 18, 1989 | |
| 129 | Micronesia | September 11, 1989 | |
| 130 | Palestine | November 20, 1989 |
1990s
2000s
| Country | Date | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 164 | East Timor | May 20, 2002 | |
| 165 | Nauru | July 21, 2002 |
Notes
1 Succeeded by Russia
2 Succeeded by Serbia and Montenegro
3 Succeeded by the Czech Republic
4 Diplomatic relations were raised to the ambassadorial level on March 13, 1972.
5 Diplomatic relations were restored on October 13, 1971 after Burundi unilaterally several relations on January 29, 1965.
6 PRC had established diplomatic relations with the predecessors of Tanzania, Tanganyika and Zanzibar on December 9, 1961 and December 11, 1963, respectively.
7 Diplomatic relations were restored on January 29, 1988. CAR recognized the Republic of China on July 8, 1991.
8 Diplomatic relations were restored on December 29, 1972. Benin recognized the ROC in January 1966.
9 Senegal estalished diplomatic relations with ROC on January 6, 1996, and ties with the PRC has been severed since January 9, 1996.
10 Diplomatic relations were restored on April 13, 1998. Guinea Bissau recognized the ROC on May 26, 1990.
11 Diplomatic relations were restored on August 19, 1996. Niger after recognizing the ROC on June 30, 1992 and the PRC subsequently suspended diplomatic relations on July 19, 1992.
12 São Tomé and Príncipe established diplomatic relations with the ROC on May 6, 1997. The PRC suspended diplomatic relations on the same day.
13 Diplomatic relations were restored on August 10, 1993. Liberia recognized the ROC on October 9, 1989. Diplomatic relations with the PRC has been severed since September 9, 1997 because the Liberian Government's recognition of a "Two Chinas" Policy. However, the PRC and Liberia normalized their relations on October 11, 2003.
14 Diplomatic relations was raised to ambassadorial level on January 1, 1979.
15 Diplomatic relations were severed on November 29, 2003. Kiribati recognized the ROC on Taiwan on November 7, 2003.
16 Diplomatic relations were restored on January 12, 1994. Lesotho recognized the ROC on April 1990.