Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Taiwan)

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
外交部; Wàijiāobù (Mandarin)
	Seal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; (外交部印)
Agency overview
Formed	March 11, 1861 (Zongli Yamen); January 1, 1912 (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Jurisdiction	Taiwan
Headquarters	Zhongzheng District, Taipei; 25°2′20.2″N 121°30′58.78″E / 25.038944°N 121.5163278°E
Employees	About 2,000
Annual budget	About $30 billion NTD
Minister responsible	Lin Chia-lung, Minister;
Deputy Ministers responsible	Roy Chun Lee (Deputy Minister); Tien Chung-kwang (Deputy Minister); Alexander Yui (Vice Minister);
Agency executive	Daniel Tang, Secretary-General;
Parent agency	Executive Yuan
Website	en.mofa.gov.tw

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (abbreviated MOFA; Chinese: 外交部; pinyin: Wàijiāobù; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Gōa-kau-pō͘) is a cabinet-level ministry of Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), and is responsible for the ROC's diplomacy and foreign relations. It is headquartered in the capital Taipei. The incumbent minister is Lin Chia-lung, who took office in 2024 and is a member of the Democratic Progressive Party.

Article 141 of the ROC Constitution provides: "The foreign policy of the Republic of China shall, in a spirit of independence and initiative and on the basis of the principles of equality and reciprocity, cultivate good neighborliness with other nations, and respect treaties and the Charter of the United Nations, in order to protect the rights and interests of overseas compatriots, promote international cooperation, advance international justice and ensure world peace." In accordance with the Constitution, MOFA is committed to defending ROC sovereignty and national interests, implementing foreign policy that enhances Taiwan's prosperity and international status.

The Ministry is in charge of maintaining relations with foreign countries excluding the People's Republic of China, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Mainland Affairs Council. As of July 2024, the ROC has official diplomatic relations with 11 UN member states and the Holy See. Due to the One China policy, the ROC also maintains more than 110 diplomatic missions in the form of 13 embassies, a consulate-general, more than 90 semi-official representative offices, and a permanent mission to the World Trade Organization.

Administration

MOFA is composed of the following departmental structures:^[2]

Departmental Structure

Secretariat
Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
Department of West Asian and African Affairs
Department of European Affairs
Department of North American Affairs
Department of Latin American and Caribbean Affairs
Department of Treaty and Legal Affairs
Department of International Organizations
Department of International Cooperation and Economic Affairs
Department of International Information Services
Department of Policy Planning
Department of Protocol
Department of General Affairs
Department of Personnel
Department of Civil Service Ethics
Department of Accounting
Department of Archives, Information Management and Telecommunications
Public Diplomacy Coordination Council
Department of NGO International Affairs
The Office of Parliamentarian Affairs
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs
Taiwan–Japan Relations Association
Coordination Council for North American Affairs
Central Taiwan Office
Southern Taiwan Office
Eastern Taiwan Office
Southwestern Taiwan Office

Budget

According to statistics published by the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics for Fiscal Year 2011, the budget for MOFA is equivalent to approx. 10.37% of the budget for the Ministry of National Defense (MND). The MND budget for 2011 has been announced to be US$9.2 billion. Hence, an estimated MOFA budget figure for Fiscal Year 2011 is US$954 million.

Diplomatic relations

The Republic of China has diplomatic relations with 12 countries.^[3]

Oceania

North America

Representative offices abroad

For countries with which Taiwan does not have formal diplomatic relations, representation is often referred to as the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, Taipei Economic and Cultural Representatives Office or Taipei Representative Offices, which serve the same function as embassy or consulate.^[5]

The Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania was formed in 2021, and it was the first representative office in Eastern Europe to bear a name that includes the word “Taiwan.”^[6]

Foreign missions in Taiwan

Embassy of Saint Christopher and Nevis
Embassy of Belize
Embassy of the Republic of Palau
Embassy of the Republic of the Marshall Islands
Embassy of the Kingdom of Eswatini
Apostolic Nunciature

Ministers

Access

The MOFA building is accessible by NTU Hospital Station of the Taipei Metro on the Red Line.

References

^ Zhu Weizheng (23 April 2015). Rereading Modern Chinese History. BRILL. pp. 305–. ISBN 978-90-04-29331-1.
^ "Issue". Mofa.gov.tw. 2012-04-02. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
^ "Issue". Mofa.gov.tw. 2012-04-02. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
^ Staff, T. N. L. (2024-02-01). "Eswatini Signs Declaration to Vow Tight Diplomatic Ties with Taiwan". The News Lens International Edition. Retrieved 2024-02-11.
^ "Issue". Mofa.gov.tw. 2012-04-02. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
^ Huang, Tzu-ti (18 November 2021). "'Taiwanese' office in Lithuania opens". Taiwan News.