Principles Governing the Establishment
of Diplomatic Relations with Other Countries

With the inauguration of the PRC on October 1, 1949, the Chinese government declared solemnly: “This government is the sole legal government representing the people of the People’s Republic of China. It is ready to establish diplomatic relations with all foreign governments which are 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 country seeking to establish diplomatic relations with China must show its readiness to sever all diplomatic relations with the Taiwan authorities and recognize the government of the PRC as the sole legal government of China. The Chinese government will never tolerate any country scheming to create “two Chinas” or “one China, one Taiwan”; nor will it tolerate any moves on the part of countries having formal diplomatic relations with China to establish any form of official relations with the Taiwan authorities.

On February 25, 1999, Russian President Boris Yeltsin met with Premier Zhu Rongji of the PRC in the Kremin.

In March 1999 Chairman Li Peng of the Standing Committee of the NPC met with the Greek Prime Minister Coftas Simitis in Athens.