The People's Republic of China and the Republic of Liberia established bilateral relations on February 17, 1977.  On October 9, 1989, the Liberian Government signed Joint Communiqué with Taiwan authorities claiming "Reestablishment of diplomatic relations". The following day, Chinese Government broke diplomatic ties with Liberia. On August 10, 1993, China and Liberia resumed diplomatic ties. On September 5, 1997, the diplomatic ties broke again due to Liberia's recognition of "Two Chinas". On October 11, 2003, China and Liberia resumed diplomatic ties.  The Chinese Embassy in Liberia reopened on January 12, 2004.

In history, Liberian leaders such as President William Tolbert (in June 1978) and Mr. Samuel Doe, Head of State (in May 1982) visited China while Chinese leaders including Vice Premier Tian Jiyun (in December 1984) and Deputy Foreign Minister Tian Zengpei (in August 1994) visited Liberia.

Since the resumption of bilateral relations in October 2003, the Sino-Liberian ties have witnessed sound development with frequent exchanges of high-level visits. China's Assistant Foreign Minister Lu Guozeng visited Liberia in November 2003.  In December of the same year, Liberian Foreign Minister Thomas Yaya Nimely and Commerce Minister Samuel Wlue attended the Second Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Addis Ababa and met with Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing. In August 2004, Foreign Minister Nimely led a delegation consisting of Commerce Minister, Agriculture Minister, Foreign Affairs Advisor to Chairman Bryant and other Liberian senior officials visited China.  In September 2004, Justice Minister Kabineh Ja'neh attended the 17^th International Congress of Penal Law held in China. In March 2005, Defense Minister Daniel Chea visited China as head of a Liberian military delegation.  In May 2005, Amb. Li Qiangmin, Special Envoy of the Chinese Foreign Minister visited Liberia.

With the inauguration of the first democratically-elected Liberian Government led by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf after the civil war, the Sino-Liberian relations have entered into a new era.

In January 2006, Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing attended the Inauguration of President Sirleaf as Special Envoy of President Hu Jintao and paid an official visit to Liberia.  In March, Deputy Commerce Minister Wei Jianguo visited Liberia.  In June, Ma Wenpu, Vice Minister of International Department of the Chinese Communist Party paid a visit to Liberia.

In March 2006, a delegation of five political parties (namely the Unity Party, the Congress for Democratic Change, the Liberty Party, the National Patriotic Party and the Coalition for Transformation of Liberia) headed by Mr. Charles Clark, Chairman of the ruling Unity Party visited China.  In May, September and October the same year, Gender Minister Voba Gayflor, Defense Minister Brownie Samukai, Justice Minister Francis Morris visited China respectively. In November, President Pro-tempore of the Senate Isaac Nyenabo visited China as head of the Liberian parliamentary delegation.  All these visits have enhanced mutual understanding and friendship between the two governments and peoples. 

On February 1, 2007, President Hu Jintao paid a historic state visit to Liberia reciprocating President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's state visit to China in October 2006, the first visit to Liberia by a head of state from China.  During their exchange of visits, the two leaders chartered the direction for future development of bilateral relations and the two sides signed several agreements on bilateral economic and technical cooperation, cancellation of Liberia's debts owed to China, provision of financial assistance to Liberia for its post-war reconstruction and etc.

With the sound development in Sino-Liberian relations, governments and peoples of both countries have come to a common understanding that sustained and stable bilateral relations are in the fundamental interests of both countries.  The Liberian Government has firmly committed itself to its One-China Policy while the National Transitional Legislative Assembly passed into law a resolution upholding One-China Policy in August 2005, which was reiterated by the 52^nd legislature in October 2006.