The Ambassador of Germany to China is an officer of the German Foreign Office and the head of the of the Federal Republic of Germany to the People's Republic of China. The position has the rank and status of an Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and is currently held by Patricia Flor. The Federal Republic of Germany and the PRC have enjoyed diplomatic relations since 1972, while the German Democratic Republic had relations with the PRC from 25 October 1949. Unofficial representation to Taiwan has been undertaken by the German Institute Taipei since 2000.