The Vatican on Saturday announced an historic accord with China on the appointment of bishops in the Communist country in what could pave the way for the normalisation of ties between the Catholic Church and the world's most populous country.
Beijing immediately said it hoped for better relations, while Taiwan said its ties with the Vatican were safe despite the deal with China.
There are an estimated 12 million Catholics in China divided between a government-run association whose clergy are chosen by the Communist Party and an unofficial church which swears allegiance to the Vatican.
The Vatican has not had diplomatic relations with Beijing since 1951, two years after the founding of the communist People's Republic.
The preliminary agreement with China "has been agreed following a long process of careful negotiation and foresees the possibility of periodic reviews of its application," the Vatican said in a statement issued as Pope Francis began a visit to the Baltic states.
"It concerns the nomination of Bishops, a question of great importance for the life of the Church, and creates the conditions for greater collaboration at the bilateral level," it said.
Vatican spokesman Greg Burke, speaking in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, told reporters the aim of the accord "is not political but pastoral, allowing the faithful to have bishops who are in communion with Rome but at the same time recognized by Chinese authorities."
China said the "provisional" agreement was signed in Beijing by vice foreign minister Wang Chao and a Vatican delegation headed by the under secretary for relations with state, Antoine Camilleri and added that the two sides "will continue to maintain communication and push forward the improvement of bilateral relations."
Jonathan Sullivan, director of China Programs, Asia Research Institute at University of Nottingham, described the accord as "a strategic move on China's part; and a naive one on the Vatican's."
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