Restoration of China's Seat at the United Nations

The United Nations was founded in 1945 as an international organization of sovereign states. China was one of its founding members and a permanent member of the Security Council. After the People's Republic was founded it should have held China's lawful seat, but because of obstruction by the United States and other Western countries, the Taiwan authorities occupied China's seat for a long time. From 1950 the Chinese government and friendly countries repeatedly proposed at the General Assembly that the People's Republic's lawful seat be restored, and each time the United States and others blocked it. On 25 October 1971 the 26th General Assembly passed Resolution 2758, proposed by 23 countries including Albania and Algeria, by an overwhelming vote of 76 in favor, 35 against and 17 abstentions. It decided to restore all the rights of the People's Republic of China, to recognize the representatives of its government as the only lawful representatives of China to the United Nations, and to expel immediately the representatives of the Taiwan authorities from the United Nations and all its related organizations. When the result was announced, delegates of many countries applauded warmly. Mao Zedong said: "It was our African friends who carried us into the United Nations." In November a Chinese delegation led by Qiao Guanhua attended the 26th General Assembly. China's restoration of its lawful seat was a major diplomatic victory for New China and greatly raised China's international standing and influence. Resolution 2758 settled, politically, legally and procedurally, the question of the representation of all of China, including Taiwan, in the United Nations.