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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]
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]
Country | Region | City | Mission | Opened | Notes | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Belize | Americas | Belize City | Embassy | 1989 | [21] | |
Eswatini | Africa | Mbabane | Embassy | 1968 | Also serves Mozambique | [22] |
Guatemala | Americas | Guatemala City | Embassy | 1935 | Initially consulate, promoted to legation in 1954 and embassy in 1960 Also serves: |
[23] |
Haiti | Americas | Port-au-Prince | Embassy | 1960 | Initially legation, promoted to embassy in 1965 | [24] |
Holy See | Europe | Rome[c] | Embassy | 1943 | Started as legation, promoted to embassy in 1959 Also serves Sovereign Military Order of Malta |
[25] |
Marshall Islands | Oceania | Majuro | Embassy | 1998 | Also serves Federated States of Micronesia | [26] |
Palau | Oceania | Koror | Embassy | 1999 | [27] | |
Paraguay | Americas | Asunción | Embassy | 1959 | [28] | |
Ciudad del Este | Consulate-general | 1988 | [28] | |||
Saint Kitts and Nevis | Americas | Basseterre | Embassy | 1984 | [29] | |
Saint Lucia | Americas | Gros Islet | Embassy | 2007 | Also serves: |
[30] |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Americas | Kingstown | Embassy | 1983 | Also serves: |
[31] |
Tuvalu | Oceania | Funafuti | Embassy | 1998 | [32] |
Organization | City | Mission | Opened | Notes | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
European Union | Brussels | Representative office | 2001 | Also direct representative to Belgium[f] | [99] |
World Trade Organization | Geneva | Permanent mission | 2002 | [100] |
* | 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) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bangladesh | Asia | Dhaka | Embassy (de facto) | 2004 | 2009 | Reassigned to representative office in India | [55][101] |
Belarus | Europe | Minsk | Embassy (de facto) | 1996 | 2006 | Reassigned to representative office in Russia | [102][103] |
Benin | Africa | Cotonou | Embassy* | 1965 | [104] | ||
Bolivia | Americas | La Paz | Embassy (de facto) | 1990 | 2009 | [105] [106] | |
Botswana | Africa | Gaborone | Embassy* | 1974 | [107] | ||
Burkina Faso | Africa | Ouagadougou | Embassy* | 2018 | [108] | ||
Cambodia | Asia | Phnom Penh | "Military mission" | 1972 | 1975 | [109] | |
Embassy (de facto) | 1994 | 1997 | [110][111] | ||||
Central African Republic | Africa | Bangui | Embassy* | 1964 | [112] | ||
Colombia | 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] | ||||
Costa Rica | Americas | San José | Embassy* | 2007 | [113] | ||
Dominica | Americas | Roseau | Embassy* | 2004 | [114] | ||
Dominican Republic | Americas | Santo Domingo | Embassy* | 2018 | [115] | ||
Ecuador | Americas | Guayaquil | Consulate (de facto) | 1974 | 1998 | [50] | |
El Salvador | Americas | San Salvador | Embassy* | 2018 | [116] | ||
Gabon | Africa | Libreville | Embassy* | 1974 | [117] | ||
Gambia | Africa | Banjul | Embassy* | 1974 | [118] | ||
1996 | 2013 | [119][120] | |||||
Greece | Europe | Athens | Embassy** | 1929 | 1972 | Started as legation, promoted to embassy in 1947 | [53] |
Honduras | 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] | |||
Japan | 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] | ||
Kiribati | Oceania | Bairiki | Embassy* | 2004 | 2019 | [125][126] | |
Latvia | Europe | Riga | Consulate-general[ax] | 1992 | 1994 | [127] | |
Liberia | Africa | Monrovia | Embassy* | 1957 | 2003 | Started as legation, promoted to embassy in 1960 | [128][129][130] |
Libya | Africa | Tripoli | Embassy (de facto) | 1980 | 1997 | [131] | |
2008 | 2011 | Closed due to the First Libyan Civil War | [132][133] | ||||
Luxembourg | Europe | Luxembourg | Embassy (de facto) | 1975 | 2002 | Reassigned to representative mission in Belgium/EU | [37][134] |
North Macedonia | Europe | Skopje | Embassy*[ay] | 1999 | 2001 | [135][136] | |
Macau | Asia | Macau | Embassy (de facto) | 1945 | 1966 | Special commissariat | [137][138] |
Madagascar | Africa | Antananarivo | Embassy* | 1960 | 1972 | Formerly a consulate-general before Madagascar's independence | [139] |
Malawi | Africa | Lilongwe | Embassy* | 2008 | [140] | ||
Nauru | 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] |
Nicaragua | 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] |
Niger | Africa | Niamey | Embassy* | 1974 | [143] | ||
Nigeria | Africa | Abuja | Embassy (de facto) | 2001 | 2018 | Ultimately temporary relocation of Lagos office | [144][145] |
Norway | Europe | Oslo | Embassy (de facto) | 1980 | 2017 | Reassigned to representative mission in Sweden | [37][146] |
Panama | Americas | Panama City | Embassy* | 2017 | [147] | ||
Colón | Consulate-general | 2009 | [148] | ||||
Rwanda | Africa | Kigali | Embassy* | 1972 | [149] | ||
Peru | Americas | Lima | Embassy** | 1911 | 1971 | Continuation of Qing embassy opened in 1875 | [150] |
Saudi Arabia | Asia | Jeddah | Consulate (de facto) | 2017 | Reassigned to main office in Riyadh | [146] | |
São Tomé and Príncipe | Africa | São Tomé | Embassy* | 2016 | [151] | ||
Solomon Islands | Oceania | Honiara | Embassy* | 2019 | [152] | ||
South Africa | 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] | |||
Senegal | Africa | Dakar | Embassy* | 1964 | [155] | ||
Switzerland | Europe | Zürich | Embassy (de facto) | 1973 | 2007 | Merged with Bern office | [86] |
Lausanne | Consulate (de facto) | 1979 | 1994 | Moved to Bern | [86] | ||
Togo | Africa | Lomé | Embassy* | 1972 | [156] | ||
Tonga | Oceania | Nukuʻalofa | Embassy* | 1998 | [157] | ||
Uruguay | 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] | |||
United States | 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] | |||
Venezuela | Americas | Caracas | Embassy (de facto) | 1974 | 2009 | [165] |
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