The diplomatic merry-go-round

Countries in red currently have official diplomatic ties with the People's Republic of China (PRC).

Countries in green currently have official diplomatic ties with the Republic of China on Taiwan (ROC).

Countries in white don't have full diplomatic relations with either side. (Bhutan recognized the PRC in 1971 but doesn't have official relations with it. Monaco seems much the same. And Samoa probably belongs in the PRC camp, but I haven't found evidence for this yet.)

The dates in the table refer to when diplomatic relations were established. Although the ROC predates the PRC, the first column is for the PRC because I'm mainly interested in cross-strait concerns rather than specifically ROC ones. Also, I don't have the full information yet.

For example, the Central African Republic is in red, so it belongs in Beijing's camp. But it initially recognized the ROC (second column) in 1966, switched to the PRC in 1976, switched again in 1991, and then changed one more time in 1998, siding with Beijing again.

The table contains several lacunae and probably several errors, too. (Britain should be in 1950; I need to study why it's listed so late.)

Comments and corrections are welcome.

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