Haiti recognized the Republic of China (ROC) over the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1956 and have since maintained formal diplomatic relations with the ROC. Haiti is one of 15 nations that recognize the ROC officially. In 2018, Dominican Republic choose to recognize the PRC over ROC, culminating in increased interest in Haiti among Taiwanese and Chinese governments. In 1993, the PRC opened a commercial office in Haiti in a bid to start the process of formalizing diplomatic relations however it did not come to fruition. The ROC, in a bid to maintain relations, has offered US$150 million to Haiti for development of rural power grids, following the destruction of much of the infrastructure in the 2010 Haiti earthquake.