People's Republic of China

American  

noun

1. a country in East Asia. 3,691,502 sq. mi. (9,560,990 sq. km). Beijing. PRC, P.R.C.

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People's Republic of China ¹ Cultural  

1. The government of China set up in 1949 after the victory of the communist forces of Mao Zedong. The People's Republic ruled the mainland of China, forcing the government of Nationalist China (see also Nationalist China) into exile on the island of Taiwan. For years, many Western nations, especially the United States, refused to recognize the People's Republic as the government of mainland China; instead, they exchanged ambassadors only with Nationalist China. The United States recognized the People's Republic as the government of China in 1979.

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People's Republic of China ² Cultural  

1. The official name for mainland China, which has a communist government.

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Compare meaning

How does peoples-republic-of-china compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• People's Republic of China vs. Republic of China

Example Sentences

The work was supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China and the National Natural Science Foundation of China, along with other funding sources.

From Science Daily • Feb. 17, 2026

The People's Republic of China has used giant pandas as a gesture of goodwill towards its international allies and competitors since it was founded in 1949.

From BBC • Jan. 25, 2026

That is the lowest number of births and lowest birthrate reported since records began in 1949, the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 19, 2026

The defeated Nationalist government, led by Chiang Kai-shek, fled to Taiwan in 1949, while the Chinese Communist Party under Mao Zedong established the People’s Republic of China on the mainland.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2025

"Tell the People's Republic of China we said thanks," Teddy added.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir