The Republic of China and the Imperial State of Iran officially established diplomatic relations in 1937. In 1971, Iran recognized the People's Republic of China (ruled by the Chinese Communist Party) as the sole legitimate government of China, and likewise rescinded its recognition of the Republic of China (with its Kuomintang government now based in Taiwan) as a state. In the early years of the Cold War, Iran and the People's Republic of China were on opposing sides of the Iron Curtain, with Iran being a part of the American-led Western Bloc from the 1953 coup and China being a part of the Soviet-led Eastern Bloc until the latter broke away in 1961 thus siding with the Western Bloc until the end of the Cold War.