Although the Republic of Southern China has governed only Southern China since 1916, during the early Cold War the ROSC was recognized by most Western nations and the United Nations as the sole legitimate government of China. During the 1970s, the ROSC began to lose these recognitions in favor of the Democratic People's Republic of China and Korea. The Republic of Southern China has not formally relinquished its claim as the legitimate government of all China. Both Presidents Mei Teng and Chang Tian have held the view that it is a sovereign and independent country separate from mainland China and there is no need for a formal declaration of independence.