PRC distinguishes from ROC ("Mainland China" vs "Taiwan") just as DPRK and ROK distinguish the two governments on the Korean peninsula.

See also: "Germany" 1949-1990

Others answered the main reason, but sometimes I find myself using "PRC" to indicate a particular government (~1950-Present) which unlike "China" excludes past dynasties, and is less-likely to be interpreted as referring to the people or culture.

For example, the potential differences between:

    "France has always been X."
    "The French republic has always been X."
    "The French monarchy has always been X."

Which republic lol we're on #5

I don't critique France['s governments] enough to know the right way of identifying them all, but I trust the underlying problem has been adequately demonstrated. :p

The French Republic has always existed in the nuclear age?

The French Republic has always been founded by De Gaulle?

> The French Republic has always existed in the nuclear age?

There were two different French republics since 1945 with their own different consitutions (one with a parliamentary system and one semi-presidential).

I'm not sure the quip you are responding to make sense but it's always interesting to remind people that since the USA were founded, France went through three different monarchic systems, two empires, two periods where exceptional constitutional rules applied and five different republics. It puts in light how exceptional the American deference towards their original constitution is.

Considering that the current republic was put in place in 1958, it's also interesting to consider that France managed to be a great power for 150 years while being politicaly extremely unstable. It puts in perspective the current world events.

> The French Republic has always been founded by De Gaulle?

Neither have. Michel Debré was the head of the government supervising the constitutional assembly which drafted the constitution of the 5th French Republic.

Very minor nitpick but I'd have said France went through four different monarchic systems in that time frame (1776-1790 Ancient Régime, 1791-1792 Constitutional monarchy, 1814-1830 Bourbon Restoration and 1830-1848 July Monarchy)

I was lumping the brief period of constitutional monarchy with the convention in one of the exceptional rules, the other being another lumping of Vichy and everything that followed until the fourth while I folded the Consulate into the first empire but yes, you are entirely right, I’m oversimplifying.

Yes it is common. It is normally used when talking specifically about politics and the ruling party rather than the region or its people.

People's Republic of China. As distinguished from ROC (Republic of China), known to much of the ROW (Rest of the World) as Taiwan.

It's not really common except in a specific political climate (specifically one pressured by propaganda). Unlike the examples of the two koreas, colloquially the two chinas (communist china - commonly known as china - and fascist china, commonly known as taiwan) are not confusing. There's very little advantage to be gained by referring to what every reader knows as china as the PRC other than to emphasise some veiled pressure for people to figure out why on earth anyone would use that name. And in so doing discover the history of taiwan (but not too much history, lest we figure out that the origins of taiwan suck big time).

In essence, it's an artefact of propaganda.