China Lobby

In United States politics, the China lobby refers to any special interest group acting on behalf of the governments of either the People's Republic of China or the Republic of China to influence Sino-American relations. During most of the twentieth century, the term "China lobby" was usually used to refer to special interest groups acting on behalf of the Republic of China (ROC). Before American recognition of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1979, the PRC lobby was practically nonexistent; since that time, the PRC lobby has gradually strengthened, and by the 1990s, "China lobby" began usually referring to special interest groups acting on behalf of the PRC. The primary competitor of the China lobby has often been the "other" China lobby, the lobbyists acting on behalf of the other Chinese government.