Taiwan, officially the Republic of China, has 112 diplomatic missions across the world as of January 2024[update].[a] Due to the One-China policy held by the People's Republic of China on the Chinese mainland, other states are only allowed to maintain relations with one of the two countries.[2] As most countries have changed their recognition to the latter over time, only 13 of Taiwan's diplomatic missions have official status, consisting of twelve embassies and one consulate-general.[1] This makes Taiwan one of the few countries in the world that has resident embassies in all of the states with which it has formal diplomatic relations.[3]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/86/%E5%8F%B0%E6%B9%BE%E5%A4%96%E4%BA%A4.png/400px-%E5%8F%B0%E6%B9%BE%E5%A4%96%E4%BA%A4.png)
Despite these barriers, 59 United Nations members maintain relations with Taiwan on an unofficial basis.[3] In addition, Taiwan has informal relations with Somaliland, a state that is not internationally recognized by any other country, including China.[4][5] To serve these locations and other places throughout the world, 92 semi-official representative offices are utilized for matters that would otherwise be handled by embassies or consulates. Their heads are still appointed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, making them de facto missions.[6] Owing to pressure from the People's Republic, most of these offices cannot operate under either the country's official or common name, using the name of the capital Taipei instead to avoid addressing Taiwan's political status.[7] There have recently been two notable exceptions to this; the offices in Somaliland (opened 2020) and Lithuania (2021) use "Taiwan" in their names.[8][9][6][10][11] Taiwan also maintains permanent missions to the European Union and the World Trade Organization, with the latter under the name "Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kimmen and Matsu".[12]
Taiwan has also established informal representation in China's two Special Administrative Regions. In Hong Kong, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Hong Kong provides services similar to a consulate,[13][14] while relations to Macau are handled by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Macau.[15] In addition, under a mechanism established in 2010, the Taiwanese government is directly represented in negotiations with its Hong Kong counterpart by the Taiwan–Hong Kong Economic and Cultural Co-operation Council (ECCC), with the latter operating a similar office in reciprocation.[16] Taiwan also maintains unofficial diplomatic exchanges with China using the Straits Exchange Foundation, but the organization does not have a physical presence in the mainland as of 2020.[17]
Diplomatic missions
Official
Country | Region | City | Mission | Opened | Notes | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Americas | Belize City | Embassy | 1989 | [21] | |
![]() | Africa | Mbabane | Embassy | 1968 | Also serves ![]() | [22] |
![]() | Americas | Guatemala City | Embassy | 1935 | Initially consulate, promoted to legation in 1954 and embassy in 1960 Also serves: | [23] |
![]() | Americas | Port-au-Prince | Embassy | 1960 | Initially legation, promoted to embassy in 1965 | [24] |
![]() | Europe | Rome[c] | Embassy | 1943 | Started as legation, promoted to embassy in 1959 Also serves ![]() | [25] |
![]() | Oceania | Majuro | Embassy | 1998 | Also serves ![]() | [26] |
![]() | Oceania | Koror | Embassy | 1999 | [27] | |
![]() | Americas | Asunción | Embassy | 1959 | [28] | |
Ciudad del Este | Consulate-general | 1988 | [28] | |||
![]() | Americas | Basseterre | Embassy | 1984 | [29] | |
![]() | Americas | Gros Islet | Embassy | 2007 | Also serves: | [30] |
![]() | Americas | Kingstown | Embassy | 1983 | Also serves: | [31] |
![]() | Oceania | Funafuti | Embassy | 1998 | [32] |
De facto
Multilateral organizations
Organization | City | Mission | Opened | Notes | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Brussels | Representative office | 2001 | Also direct representative to ![]() | [99] |
![]() | Geneva | Permanent mission | 2002 | [100] |
Former
* | Mission closed due to withdrawal of official diplomatic recognition |
** | Same as above, but an unofficial office was set up to succeed it that is still in operation |
Country | Region | City | Mission | Opened | Closed | Notes | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Asia | Dhaka | Embassy (de facto) | 2004 | 2009 | Reassigned to representative office in India | [55][101] |
![]() | Europe | Minsk | Embassy (de facto) | 1996 | 2006 | Reassigned to representative office in Russia | [102][103] |
![]() | Africa | Cotonou | Embassy* | 1965 | [104] | ||
![]() | Americas | La Paz | Embassy (de facto) | 1990 | 2009 | [105] [106] | |
![]() | Africa | Gaborone | Embassy* | 1974 | [107] | ||
![]() | Africa | Ouagadougou | Embassy* | 2018 | [108] | ||
![]() | Asia | Phnom Penh | "Military mission" | 1972 | 1975 | [109] | |
Embassy (de facto) | 1994 | 1997 | [110][111] | ||||
![]() | Africa | Bangui | Embassy* | 1964 | [112] | ||
![]() | Americas | Bogotá | Embassy** | 1947 | 1980 | Initially legation, promoted to embassy in 1961 | [47] |
Barranquilla | Consulate-general* | 1972 | 1980 | Initially consulate, promoted to consulate-general in 1979 | [47] | ||
Consulate (de facto) | 1980 | 1991 | [47] | ||||
![]() | Americas | San José | Embassy* | 2007 | [113] | ||
![]() | Americas | Roseau | Embassy* | 2004 | [114] | ||
![]() | Americas | Santo Domingo | Embassy* | 2018 | [115] | ||
![]() | Americas | Guayaquil | Consulate (de facto) | 1974 | 1998 | [50] | |
![]() | Americas | San Salvador | Embassy* | 2018 | [116] | ||
![]() | Africa | Libreville | Embassy* | 1974 | [117] | ||
![]() | Africa | Banjul | Embassy* | 1974 | [118] | ||
1996 | 2013 | [119][120] | |||||
![]() | Europe | Athens | Embassy** | 1929 | 1972 | Started as legation, promoted to embassy in 1947 | [53] |
![]() | Americas | Tegucigalpa | Embassy* | 1957 | 2023 | Started as legation, promoted to consulate in 1962, then embassy in 1965 | [121] |
San Pedro Sula | Consulate-general* | 1997 | 2023 | [122] | |||
![]() | Asia | Taihoku | Consulate-General[aw] | 1930 | 1945 | [123] | |
Nagasaki | Consulate | 1912 | 1970 | Japan broke off diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1972, when two years after the closure of the consulate in Nagasaki. | [124] | ||
![]() | Oceania | Bairiki | Embassy* | 2004 | 2019 | [125][126] | |
![]() | Europe | Riga | Consulate-general[ax] | 1992 | 1994 | [127] | |
![]() | Africa | Monrovia | Embassy* | 1957 | 2003 | Started as legation, promoted to embassy in 1960 | [128][129][130] |
![]() | Africa | Tripoli | Embassy (de facto) | 1980 | 1997 | [131] | |
2008 | 2011 | Closed due to the First Libyan Civil War | [132][133] | ||||
![]() | Europe | Luxembourg | Embassy (de facto) | 1975 | 2002 | Reassigned to representative mission in Belgium/EU | [37][134] |
![]() | Europe | Skopje | Embassy*[ay] | 1999 | 2001 | [135][136] | |
![]() | Asia | Macau | Embassy (de facto) | 1945 | 1966 | Special commissariat | [137][138] |
![]() | Africa | Antananarivo | Embassy* | 1960 | 1972 | Formerly a consulate-general before Madagascar's independence | [139] |
![]() | Africa | Lilongwe | Embassy* | 2008 | [140] | ||
![]() | Oceania | Aiwo | Embassy * | 1980 | 2024 | Originally consulate-general, promoted to embassy in 1990, closed due to breaking off of relations between 2002-2005 and since 2024. | [32][1] |
![]() | Americas | Managua | Embassy * | 1930 | 2021 | Originally consulate-general, promoted to legation in 1955 and then embassy in 1965, closed due to breaking off of relations in 1985-1990 and since 2021. | [141][142] |
![]() | Africa | Niamey | Embassy* | 1974 | [143] | ||
![]() | Africa | Abuja | Embassy (de facto) | 2001 | 2018 | Ultimately temporary relocation of Lagos office | [144][145] |
![]() | Europe | Oslo | Embassy (de facto) | 1980 | 2017 | Reassigned to representative mission in Sweden | [37][146] |
![]() | Americas | Panama City | Embassy* | 2017 | [147] | ||
Colón | Consulate-general | 2009 | [148] | ||||
![]() | Africa | Kigali | Embassy* | 1972 | [149] | ||
![]() | Americas | Lima | Embassy** | 1911 | 1971 | Continuation of Qing embassy opened in 1875 | [150] |
![]() | Asia | Jeddah | Consulate (de facto) | 2017 | Reassigned to main office in Riyadh | [146] | |
![]() | Africa | São Tomé | Embassy* | 2016 | [151] | ||
![]() | Oceania | Honiara | Embassy* | 2019 | [152] | ||
![]() | Africa | Pretoria | Embassy* | 1976 | 1998 | Succeeded by unofficial representative office | [153][85] |
Johannesburg | Consulate* | 1912 | 1998 | Continuation of a Qing-era consulate, succeeded by unofficial representative office | [153][85] | ||
Consulate (de facto) | 1998 | 2009 | [85][148] | ||||
Cape Town | Consulate** | 1973 | 1998 | [154][85] | |||
![]() | Africa | Dakar | Embassy* | 1964 | [155] | ||
![]() | Europe | Zürich | Embassy (de facto) | 1973 | 2007 | Merged with Bern office | [86] |
Lausanne | Consulate (de facto) | 1979 | 1994 | Moved to Bern | [86] | ||
![]() | Africa | Lomé | Embassy* | 1972 | [156] | ||
![]() | Oceania | Nukuʻalofa | Embassy* | 1998 | [157] | ||
![]() | Americas | Montevideo | Embassy | 1957 | 1988 | [158] | |
Embassy (de facto) | 1992 | 2002 | Closure in 2002 intended to be temporary, no record since Reassigned to representative mission in Argentina | [158][159] | |||
![]() | Americas | Washington, D.C. | Embassy** | 1912 | 1978 | Continuation of Qing legation, promoted to embassy in 1935 | [160][161][162] |
Chicago | Consulate** | 1930 | 1979 | [92] | |||
Kansas City | Consulate | 1974 | 1978 | [163][164] | |||
Consulate (de facto) | 1985 | 2015 | Moved to Denver | [93] | |||
![]() | Americas | Caracas | Embassy (de facto) | 1974 | 2009 | [165] |
Gallery
- Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to Belize
- Consulate-General of Taiwan in Ciudad del Este, Paraguay
- Taipei Representative Office in Dublin
- Building hosting the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in Lisbon
- Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States, Washington, D.C.
See also
Explanatory notes
References
Citations
General bibliography
- Bellows, Thomas J. (1976). "Taiwan's Foreign Policy in the 1970s: A Case Study of Adaptation and Viability". Asian Survey. 16 (7): 593–610. doi:10.2307/2643160. ISSN 0004-4687. JSTOR 2643160.
- Brødsgaard, Kjeld Erik (2001). "Trade and Economic Relations between Denmark and Taiwan 1949-1997". In Brødsgaard; Kirkeback, Mads (eds.). China and Denmark: Relations Since 1674. Copenhagen: Nordic Institute of Asian Studies. ISBN 978-87-87062-71-8.
- Chen, Jie (2002). Foreign Policy of the New Taiwan: Pragmatic Diplomacy in Southeast Asia. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84064-635-1.
- Mengin, Françoise (2004). "A Pretence of Privatisation: Taiwan's External Relations". In Hibou, Béatrice (ed.). Privatizing the State. Translated by Derrick, Jonathan. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-13464-4.
- Tubilewicz, Czeslaw (2007). Taiwan and Post-Communist Europe: Shopping for Allies. Routledge Contemporary Asia Series. New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-10083-5.
- Wei, Liang-Tsai (1982). Peking Versus Taipei in Africa 1960-1978. Asia & World Monograph Series. Taipei: The Asia and World Institute. OCLC 9139828.
- 中華民國107年外交年鑑 [The Foreign Relations Yearbook 2018 Republic of China (Taiwan)] (PDF) (in Chinese). Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 2018. ISBN 978-986-5447-13-7.
External links
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