China's biggest milestones in a murky relationship with the United Nations

China’s President Xi Jinping is poised to address the U.N. General Assembly for the first time on Monday. Here are some milestones in China’s long, convoluted relationship with the world body:

1945 — The Republic of China, led by Chiang Kai-shek, becomes the first nation to sign the U.N. charter. As one of the victors in World War II, China assumes one of five permanent seats on the U.N. Security Council over the objections of some world leaders, including Britain’s Winston Churchill. Chinese representatives also help draft and sign the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

1949 — Chiang’s Nationalists lose the Chinese civil war to Mao Zedong’s Communists and retreat from the Chinese mainland to the island of Taiwan. The Republic of China, however, retains China’s Security Council seat with the key backing of the U.S. in order to restrain Mao’s ally, the Soviet Union, as the Cold War unfolds.

1950 — The Korean War breaks out. With Soviet encouragement, Chinese forces are sent to bolster North Korea’s military. The Security Council recognizes North Korea’s attack on the South as an invasion and dispatches a 21-nation force led by the U.S. to repulse the aggression. U.N. forces frequently fight against Chinese troops until the signing of an armistice in 1953.

1950s and 1960s — Mao’s People’s Republic of China attempts repeatedly to replace the ROC as the legitimate representative of China at the U.N. However, with Washington’s strong support, the Republic of China manages to hang on even as support in the General Assembly steadily erodes.

1971 — Amid a thaw in relations between Beijing and Washington, the People’s Republic of China secures the votes of 26 newly-independent African nations and finally prevails in its campaign to win the China seat. Passed on the 21st attempt, U.N. Resolution 2758 expels the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek from the body, effectively casting Taiwan into the diplomatic wilderness.