On October 1, 1949, at the inauguration of the PRC, the Chinese
government declared, "This government is the sole legitimate
government representing the whole people of the People's Republic
of China. It is ready to establish diplomatic relations with any
foreign government willing to observe the principles of equality,
mutual benefit, and respect for each other's territorial integrity
and sovereignty."
There is only one China in the world. Taiwan Province is an
integral part of the territory of the PRC. Any nation that intends
to have diplomatic relations with China must recognize the PRC
government as the sole legitimate government of China and sever
diplomatic ties with the Taiwan authorities. China firmly opposes
any actions aimed at creating "Taiwan independence," "two Chinas"
or "one China, one Taiwan," and will not tolerate any country that
has established a formal diplomatic relations with China to
establish any official relations of any kind with Taiwan
authorities.?
In line with these principles, China had established diplomatic
relations with more than 160 countries by the end of 2004.