There are currently 191 member states in the United Nations.
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2 Observer States 3 External link |
The Republic of China was one of the five original founders of the UN in 1945. However, the nationalist government that the ROC represented was deposed shortly thereafter, with a Communist government taking control of most of the country. Members of the nationalist government continued to represent China at the UN, though it was often alleged that this was somewhat unfair, given the nationalist government's decreasing influences outside of the island of Taiwan. In October 1971, Resolution 2758 was passed by the General Assembly, expelling the ROC from all UN organs and replacing the China seat on the Security Council with the People's Republic of China. It also declared the PRC as the "only lawful representatives of China to the United Nations" and thus labeled the ROC as renegade. Multiple attempts by the Republic of China to re-join the UN have not made it past committee. Should the ROC again be recognized, it will almost certainly be recognized as the government of an independent Taiwan nation, and not replace the PRC.
Some international organizations have a similar observer status; see UN General Assembly for a list.The Seat of China
Main article: China and the United NationsObserver States
In addition to the member states discussed above, there is also a non-member observer state: the Holy See (Vatican City State), which maintains a permanent observer mission at the UN headquarters. The Vatican is the smallest sovereign country in the world.