| Ministry of Foreign Affairs | |
| Native Name: | 外交部 |
| Native Name R: | Wàijiāobù (Mandarin) |
| Formed: | March 11, 1861 (Zongli Yamen)[1] January 1, 1912 (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) |
| Preceding6: | --> |
| Superseding6: | --> |
| Jurisdiction: | Taiwan |
| Headquarters: | Zhongzheng District, Taipei |
| Coordinates: | 25.0389°N 121.5163°W |
| Employees: | About 2,000 |
| Budget: | About $30 billion NTD |
| Minister1 Name: | Lin Chia-lung |
| Minister1 Pfo: | Minister |
| Deputyminister1 Name: | Roy Chun Lee (Deputy Minister) |
| Deputyminister2 Name: | Tien Chung-kwang (Deputy Minister) |
| Deputyminister3 Name: | Alexander Yui (Vice Minister) |
| Chief1 Name: | Daniel Tang |
| Chief1 Position: | Secretary-General |
| Parent Agency: | Executive Yuan |
| Keydocument6: | --> |
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (abbreviated MOFA;) 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.
MOFA is composed of the following departmental structures:[2]
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.
See main article: Foreign relations of Taiwan.
The Republic of China has diplomatic relations with 12 countries.[3]
See main article: Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office.
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]
See main article: Minister of Foreign Affairs (Republic of China).
The MOFA building is accessible by NTU Hospital Station of the Taipei Metro on the Red Line.