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Foreign relations of the ROC

1. The diplomatic isolation of the ROC
• Terms for various diplomatic approaches
• The current diplomatic allies of the ROC
2. ROC vs. PRC since the 1970s
• Lost and found—the ROC's diplomatic relations since the 1970s
• Comparison: The PRC gaining diplomatic ground since the 1970s
3. The ROC in major international organizations
• ROC representatives to the United Nations (UN)
• ROC representative office to the World Trade Organization (WTO)
• Taiwan's representatives at summits of APEC Economic Leaders
• Taiwan's representatives at the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA)
4. The ROC and the US
• Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO)
• US representatives to the ROC before 1979
• American Institute in Taiwan (AIT)
• Milestones in the ROC–US bilateral relations
• Ⓧ Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG)
• Ⓧ United States Taiwan Defense Command (USTDC)
• ROC-USA Business Council
• U.S.–Taiwan Business Council
• American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan (AmCham)
• Stopovers of sitting ROC presidents in the US
5. The ROC and Japan
• Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan (TECROJ)
• Japan–Taiwan Exchange Association (JTEA)
• Japan and China/Taiwan/the ROC since the 19^th century—a retrospective
6. The ROC and Europe
• Taipei Representative Office in the EU and Belgium
• European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan (EETO)
• European Chamber of Commerce Taiwan (ECCT)
• The ROC and the Vatican
• The ROC / Taiwan and Germany
• The ROC and post-Soviet Russia
7. The ROC and selected other countries
• Ties between the ROC and Singapore
• ROC relations with Panama before 2017

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◆ The diplomatic isolation of the ROC

• Terms for various diplomatic approaches
• The current diplomatic allies of the ROC

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Since the establishment of the PRC in October 1949, the ROC and the PRC have been competing for diplomatic recognition by other nations. Unlike Germany where both of the two German states tolerated the other's maintaining of official relations with the same states it did (at least in the period between West Germany's abandonment of the Hallstein Doctrine in the 1960s and German unification in 1990), the PRC immediately severs diplomatic ties with states recognizing the ROC, with the ROC doing likewise for those recognizing the PRC.

Furthermore, the PRC insists that its diplomatic allies do not allow Taiwan/the ROC maintain representative offices on their territory which have the word "Taiwan" instead of "Taipei" in their name. Protests issued by the PRC against violations of that condition are usually particularly fierce, e. g. when the Taiwanese Representative Office in Lithuania (zhu Litaowan Taiwan daibiaochu 駐立陶宛台灣代表處) was opened in Vilnius on Nov. 18, 2021—the PRC retaliated by imposing sanctions and downgrading its relations to Lithuania, recalling Beijing's ambassador. Meanwhile, the EU commented that Taiwan's office in Vilnius should not be considered a breach of the EU's One-China policy.

While most countries are compelled by their One-China policy to refrain from maintaining official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, the democratization of Taiwan since 1987 and China’s ongoing shift from an authoritarian regime to totalitarianism since Xi Jinping’s rise to power prompted many democratic countries to acknowledge shared values and rethink their relations with Taiwan. From the early 2020s on, interaction of Taiwan with the democratic world has intensified, and democratic countries have also become more outspoken in their support of Taiwan and for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. Despite fierce protests from Beijing, many countries now allow ministerial-level contacts with Taiwan, with only the “Big Five” being restricted from direct contact—the president/head of state, VP, prime minister, FM, and defense minister.

The two most important allies in the history of the ROC are the United States and—in the post-war period—Japan. Although both chose to establish diplomatic relations with the PRC in the 1970s, the importance of their relations to Taiwan remains undiminished. For this reason, the diplomats exchanged between them and the ROC are listed on this page.

Most historians and political scientists agree that October 25, 1971 can be regarded as major watershed in the struggle between the two sides for winning diplomatic allies—on that day the United Nations (UN) decided to hand over China's UN seat from the ROC to the PRC. Since then the remaining of the more significant countries still maintaining ties with the ROC at that time—including the US and Japan—have switched diplomatic recognition to the PRC. (See chronology below.)

Wikipedia—mostly good and useful, but not infallible

For information about the ROC's diplomatic relations, caution is advised when using Wikipedia because their pages are not always error-free. Two examples—the ROC's relations with Iceland and Germany.

• On the English-language Wikipedia page "Foreign relations of Taiwan", the chapter "Relations switched from the ROC to the PRC" mentions Iceland ('to 1971'). Iceland established diplomatic relations with the PRC on Dec. 8, 1971, but according to official sources from Taiwan (ROC yearbooks from the 1960s and 1970s) Iceland had no diplomatic relations with the ROC.
• Furthermore, the same chapter of said Wikipedia page claims for Germany (Federal Rep.) a period of recognition from 1955 to 1972. In fact, diplomatic relations between the ROC and Germany ended when Hitler's Third Reich recognized a pro-Japanese counter-government led by Wang Ching-wei 汪精衛 in Nanjing on July 1, 1941, and on Dec. 9 that year the ROC declared war on Germany (state of war was terminated effective on Oct. 20, 1955). Formal diplomatic relations were never resumed after the Federal Republic of Germany (abbrev. FRG, i. e. West Germany) was founded on May 23, 1949. The ROC set up an office in West Germany's capital Bonn in 1958, staffed with GIO officials, and started stationing MOFA officials there in 1980. A German Cultural Center, established in 1963 in Taipei by the Munich-based Goethe Institute, was authorized to issue visas, the consular functions were transferred to the German Trade Office (GTO) in 1981 and from there to the German Institute in Taipei in 2000. Neither Taiwan's representative offices in Germany nor Germany's offices in Taipei ever received the formal title of embassy. The German Democratic Republic (abbrev. GDR, i. e. East Germany)—established on Oct. 7, 1949—recognized the PRC on Oct. 27, 1949, the FRG followed suit on Oct. 11, 1972, and diplomatic relations between Beijing and Berlin continued after Germany's reunification on Oct. 3, 1990.

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Terms for various diplomatic approaches

• Presidential approaches
• Other concepts, terms and methods

Presidential approaches

Over time, the foreign policy of the ROC has seen different approaches, focuses and methods. So far, each ROC president has coined a short term to refer to his/her specific concept.

• After Lee Teng-hui became ROC president, he began describing his visits to countries with which Taipei had no diplomatic relations as "pragmatic diplomacy" (wushi waijiao 務實外交).
• Another term which circulated later was "beacon-fire diplomacy" (fenghuo waijiao 烽火外交), attributed to Lee's successor Chen Shui-bian.
• The ROC's Ma Ying-jeou administration which was in office between May 2008 and May 2016 strived to improve relations with the PRC and adopted an approach of "viable diplomacy" (huolu waijiao 活路外交). As a result of this policy which was also dubbed "diplomatic truce" (waijiao xiubing 外交休兵), the competition for diplomatic recognition between the two sides was almost completely suspended during Ma's presidency.
• The Tsai Ing-wen administration has been following an approach called "steadfast diplomacy" (tashi waijiao 踏實外交), defined as 'unwavering and fixed in direction' (jiaota shidi, yibu yijiaoyin 腳踏實地、一步一腳印) and characterized as 'firm in purpose' (huhui huli, shuangxiang miqie hezuo 互惠互利、雙向密切合作).
• In July 2024, the Lai Ching-te administration came up with the term "integral diplomacy" (zonghe waijiao 總合外交).

Other concepts, terms and methods

Taiwan's media used the term "funeral diplomacy" (zangli waijiao 葬禮外交) when ROC presidents engaged in exchange with foreign leaders on solemn occasions, e. g. when ROC President Chen Shui-bian attended the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005 and his successor Ma Ying-jeou travelled to Singapore to pay his respects after the demise of the city state's former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew 李光耀 in 2015.

Another increasingly important method that has been applied since the Tsai administration is the "parliamentary diplomacy" (guohui waijiao 國會外交) between Taiwanese legislators and counterparts in like-minded countries, and several friendship groups (guohui yiyuan youhao xiehui 國會議員友好協會 or lianyihui 聯誼會) have been set up. And during the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak the government used "mask diplomacy" (kouzhao waijiao 口罩外交) by donating millions of surgical mask to numerous countries and territories.

The practice of offering and providing generous financial aid in exchange for diplomatic recognition would be called dollar diplomacy (jinyuan waijiao 金元外交 / jinqian waijiao 金錢外交) or checkbook diplomacy (zhipiaobu waijiao 支票簿外交), but it is not an official approach of the ROC government.

In addition to professional, trained diplomats, the ROC has since 1998 been using ambassadors-at-large (wurensuo dashi 無任所大使), usually well-known public figures, to represent the country internationally.

In June 2015 Taiwan and the US set up the Global Cooperation and Training Framework (quanqiu hezuo ji xunlian jiagou 全球合作暨訓練架構, abbrev. GCTF) as a platform for discussing solutions to global issues and sharing of expertise with regional stakeholders, striving to build capacity and strengthen multilateral cooperation. GCTF frequently stages workshops in Taiwan and overseas on topics like public health, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR), media literacy, women’s empowerment, energy cooperation, law enforcement cooperation, and others. Japan became a full partner of GCTF in March 2019, Australia joined in October 2021, and Canada was admitted as full partner in August 2024.

Compared with the PRC, Taiwan/the ROC seeks to expand its soft power (ruan shili 軟實力), while the PRC's method is sometimes characterized as wolf-warrior diplomacy (zhanlang waijiao 戰狼外交). But despite its diplomatic isolation, Taiwan still maintains close and fruitful relations with many countries, especially those in the democratic camp which are wary of the PRC’s authoritarian expansion (weiquan kuozhang 威權擴張) and seek cooperation with Taiwan in many areas. Friendly countries are often referred to by Taipei as "like-minded partners" (linian xiangjin huoban 理念相近夥伴).

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The current diplomatic allies of the ROC

• Area and population of the ROC's diplomatic allies
• Chinese translation for the names of allied states and their capitals

As of Nov. 30, 2024, the ROC maintained diplomatic relations with 12 states. Among those, seven had an area of less than 1,000 km² each, five had a population of under 100,000 persons each. Sources for the estimated population figures (years 2018–2022) in the following table were Wikipedia and the ROC MOFA. (See also the "Diplomatic timeline" below.)

Area and population of the ROC's diplomatic allies

It should be noted that special importance is commonly attached to the relations between the ROC and its diplomatic allies in the Carribean and Latin America for a certain reason. When a sitting ROC president visits one or more of these allies, he or she usually makes stopovers in the US on the way there and back. These stopovers can have a great political significance, especially when meetings with high-ranking US officials are involved, and they also allow conclusions about the state of ROC–US relations—for example, if the ROC president is granted a stopover in Alaska only, that might indicate strains in the bilateral relations.

More details about the loss of diplomatic allies in Central America since 2007 can be found here.

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Chinese translation for the names of allied states and their capitals

The following table shows the country names of the current ROC diplomatic allies and their respective capital in Chinese. (Source: ROC MOFA)

Country name	~ in Chinese	Capital	~ in Chinese	National flag
Belize	Beilisi  貝里斯	Belmopan	Beiermobang  貝爾墨邦
Eswatini	Shiwadini  史瓦帝尼	Mbabane	Mobaben  墨巴本
Guatemala	Guadimala  瓜地馬拉	Ciudad de Guatemala	Guadimala shi  瓜地馬拉市
Haiti	Haidi  海地	Port-au-Prince	Taizigang  太子港
Holy See	Jiaoting  教廷	Vatican City	Fandigang cheng  梵蒂岡城
Marshall Islands	Mashaoer qundao  馬紹爾群島	Majuro	Majiuluo  馬久羅
Palau	Boliu  帛琉	Ngerulmud	Enjilumude  恩吉魯穆德
Paraguay	Balagui  巴拉圭	Asunción	Yasongsen  亞松森
Saint Kitts and Nevis	Sheng Kelisiduofu ji Niweisi  聖克里斯多福及尼維斯	Basseterre	Bashidi  巴士底
Saint Lucia	Sheng Luxiya  聖露西亞	Castries	Kasicui  卡斯翠
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Sheng Wensen  聖文森	Kingstown	Jinshicheng  金石城
Tuvalu	Tuwalu  吐瓦魯	Funafuti	Funafuti  富納富提

Please note that the capital of Palau before Oct. 7, 2006 was Koror (Keluo 科羅) which was then replaced with Ngerulmud, a town belonging to Palau's state of Melekeok (Meiliqiu 美麗坵).

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◆ ROC vs. PRC since the 1970s

• Lost and found—the ROC's diplomatic relations since the 1970s
• Comparison: The PRC gaining diplomatic ground since the 1970s

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Lost and found—the ROC's diplomatic relations since the 1970s

• 67 diplomatic allies in January 1970
• Diplomatic timeline
• Diplomatic erosion in Central America
• A remark about the ROC's relations with South Africa
• Index of all ROC diplomatic allies since 1970

After the PRC was founded on Oct. 1, 1949, the Soviet Union recognized the Communist regime in Beijing almost immediately on Oct. 3, 1949, and all the USSR's allies in the eastern bloc followed suit within a year. Although the majority of countries that had maintained official relations with the ROC in 1949 continued their ties with Taipei, a number of states established diplomatic relations with the PRC within five years of its existence, including the following: Mongolia (Oct. 16, 1949), UK (Jan. 6, 1950—the first non-socialist country to switch diplomatic recognition), India (April 1, 1950), Indonesia (April 13, 1950), Sweden (May 9, 1950), Denmark (May 11, 1950), Switzerland (Sept. 14, 1950), Finland (Oct. 28, 1950), Pakistan (May 21, 1951), Norway (Oct. 5, 1954), and others.

67 diplomatic allies in January 1970

In January 1970 the ROC had formal diplomatic relations with 67 states (see table below; source: China Yearbook 1970-71, p. 815 [List of countries having diplomatic relations with the Republic of China as of January 1971] and pp. 480-499 [Chronology, Jan. 1—Dec. 31, 1970]). An "®" indicates that the marked country has since been renamed.

Seven of these states have since been renamed.

• Congo (Kinshasa), formerly "Belgian Congo", gained independence from Belgium on June 30, 1960 under the name "République du Congo" and was commonly known as "Congo-Leopoldville", it was then renamed "Democratic Republic of Congo" on Aug. 1, 1964 and "Zaire" on Oct. 27, 1971. Today's name "Democratic Republic of Congo" was restored on May 17, 1997.
• Dahomey gained independence from France on Aug. 1, 1960 and was renamed "People's Republic of Benin" on Nov. 30, 1975, it has been known as Benin ever since.
• The Malagasy Republic, proclaimed on Oct. 14, 1958, gained full independence from France on June 26, 1960 and has been using "Madagascar" in its official state name since the "Democratic Republic of Madagascar" was formally proclaimed on Dec. 30, 1975.
• South Vietnam, officially Republic of Vietnam, surrendered to North Vietnam (officially Democratic Republic of Vietnam) on April 30, 1975 at the end of the Vietnam War. A unified Socialist Republic of Vietnam was founded on July 2, 1976.
• The Kingdom of Swaziland was renamed Eswatini (original spelling: eSwatini) on April 19, 2018.
• Turkey is now called "Türkiye" in English after the Turkish president first issued a presidential circular concerning the matter of the country's name on Dec. 4, 2021. Following a request from Türkiye's FM on May 31, 2022, the UN endorsed the name change.
• Upper Volta attained full independence from France on Aug. 5, 1960 and was renamed "Burkina Faso" on Aug. 4, 1984.

Among the states which established diplomatic relations with the ROC after January 1971 and therefore are mentioned in the chronology below, two were renamed as well.

• Macedonia, diplomatic ally of the ROC between 1999 and 2001, was officially renamed "North Macedonia" on Feb. 12, 2019.
• Western Samoa, a country which maintained formal ties with the ROC between 1972 and 1975, gained independence from New Zealand on Jan. 1, 1962 and was renamed "Samoa" on July 4, 1997.

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Diplomatic timeline

In the following chronology, the symbol "㊉" means that diplomatic relations with the ROC were established (jianjiao 建交), and the symbol "㊀" means that diplomatic relations with the ROC were severed (duanjiao 斷交). The figure in the square brackets refers to the number of diplomatic allies the ROC had after winning/losing official ties with that particular country.

Major sources for the data shown below include the ROC/Taiwan yearbooks, media reports and a detailed almanac published by the ROC MOFA in early 1999.

The phenomenon of unstable diplomatic relations dates back longer than the 1971 watershed year, it also occurred in the 1960s and affected the relations of the ROC with some African states. The two countries with the highest frequency of switching diplomatic relations between the ROC and the PRC were the Central African Republic (㊉ 1962, April 13; ㊀ 1964, Nov. 5; ㊉ 1968, May 6; ㊀ 1976, Aug. 23; ㊉ 1991, July 8; ㊀ 1998, Jan. 29) and Senegal (㊉ 1960, Sept. 23; ㊀ 1964, Nov. 8; ㊉ 1969, July 16; ㊀ 1972, April 12; ㊉ 1996, Jan. 3; ㊀ 2005, Oct. 25).

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Diplomatic erosion in Central America

For the ROC, the loss of diplomatic allies has been especially dramatic and painful in Central America. Before 2007, all seven countries in Central America were allies of the ROC—(from North to South) Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. As of October 2023, only two of them are left (Belize and Guatemala). The sequence of Central American countries switching ties to the PRC was as follows:

• 2007, June 7: Costa Rica
• 2017, June 13: Panama
• 2018, Aug. 21: El Salvador
• 2021, Dec. 9: Nicaragua
• 2023, March 26: Honduras

For a MP4 video showing maps illustrating the historic development click here (ROC diplomatic allies marked in grey).

In addition to losing diplomatic allies, another result of PRC scheming was that the Central American Parliament on Aug. 21, 2023 voted to cancel Taiwan’s permanent observer status and give it to the PRC instead. The ROC government then decided to withdraw with immediate effect.

ILLUMINATING BACKGROUND—The following chronology shows the development of Taiwan’s involvement in major Central American organizations.

Chinese translations for the abbreviations above—

• CABEI: zhong Meizhou yinhang 中美洲銀行,
• FOPREL: zhong Meizhou ji Jialebi hai pendi guohui yizhang luntan 中美洲暨加勒比海盆地國會議長論壇,
• PARLACEN: zhong Meizhou yihui 中美洲議會, and
• SICA: zhong Meizhou tongheti 中美洲統合體.

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A remark about the ROC's relations with South Africa

Although a ROC consulate in Johannesburg (established by Qing China on May 14, 1905) was already mentioned in the ROC Yearbook 1956-57, and ROC yearbooks published in the 1960s listed South Africa among the countries having diplomatic relations with the ROC, official ties were not formally elevated to ambassadorial level until 1976. Willem Pretorius, South Africa's first ambassador to the ROC, presented his credentials to President Yen Chia-kan on May 25 that year. Diplomatic relations between the ROC and South Africa finally ended on Dec. 31, 1997.

On Oct. 7, 2024 the government of South Africa demanded that Taiwan move its Taipei Liaison Office in the Republic of South Africa (zhu Nanfei gongheguo Taibei lianluo daibiaochu 駐南非共和國台北聯絡代表處) from the capital Pretoria to Johannesburg and rename it to simply a 'trade office' within six months or have it forcibly closed.

List of ROC ambassadors in South Africa

List of South African ambassadors in the ROC

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Index of all ROC diplomatic allies since 1970

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Comparison: The PRC gaining diplomatic ground since the 1970s

In January 1970 the PRC had formal ties with 48 states—members of the Warsaw Pact are marked here with a red hammer and sickle symbol [☭], other socialist/communist regimes not under Soviet influence with a black hammer and sickle symbol [☭]:

Some of the states listed above changed their names or were transformed in other ways:

• Congo (Brazzaville) today is called "Republic of the Congo" and should not be confused with the Democratic Republic of Congo which was called "Congo-Leopoldville" in the past; the city of Leopoldville was renamed Kinshasa on July 1, 1966.
• Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia on Dec. 31, 1992.
• East Germany (i. e. the German Democratic Republic, abbrev. GDR) joined the Federal Republic of Germany (abbrev. FRG, i. e. West Germany) on Oct. 3, 1990.
• North Vietnam—officially Democratic Republic of Vietnam—absorbed South Vietnam (i. e. the Republic of Vietnam) on April 30, 1975 at the end of the Vietnam War, and on July 2, 1976 a unified Socialist Republic of Vietnam was founded.
• North Yemen (i. e. the Yemen Arab Republic) and South Yemen (i. e. the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen) merged on May 22, 1990 to constitute the Republic of Yemen.
• The USSR (Soviet Union) was dissolved on Dec. 26, 1991, its capital Moscow is now the capital of the Russian Federation.
• The breakup of Yugoslavia became final on April 27, 1992.

Of the 17 socialist states which maintained ties with the PRC in 1970, only four are still socialist as of 2024: Cuba, Laos, North Korea, and Vietnam.

The table below shows a short chronology concerning the diplomatic gains of the PRC in the years 1970 and 1971. When the ROC cut relations with Iran on Aug. 17, 1971, the PRC surpassed the ROC in the number of diplomatic allies.

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◆ The ROC in major international organizations

• ROC representatives to the United Nations (UN)
• ROC representative office to the World Trade Organization (WTO)
• Taiwan's representatives at summits of APEC Economic Leaders
• Taiwan's representatives at the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA)

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Taiwan/the ROC is currently not represented in many important international organizations as a result of pressure exerted by the PRC. Efforts by the ROC government to gain meaningful participation (e. g. observer status) in global bodies like the United Nations (UN) and its affiliated specialized agencies—including the World Health Organization (WHO) and its World Health Assembly (WHA), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)—as well as others like the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have consistently been obstructed by the authoritarian regime in Beijing.

United Nations (UN)

✉ United Nations (UN) [headquarters]
760 United Nations Plaza, New York City, NY 10017, USA ———————————— 🌏 United Nations – Web link

The UN was established on Oct. 24, 1945 with the ROC as a founding member. On Oct. 25, 1971 the UN General Assembly approved UN Resolution 2758 which restored the 'lawful rights of the People's Republic of China' and expelled 'the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek'. Before the ROC lost China's seat in the UN, it had also been a permanent member of the UN Security Council from the start.

ROC representatives to the UN

The ROC and the League of Nations

The UN was created as a replacement for the League of Nations (LN) following the signing of the Covenant of the League of Nations on June 28, 1919 in Paris, effective on Jan. 10, 1920. China—a founding member of the LN as well—was not a permanent member of the LN Council but a non-permanent member of the LN Council at the following times: 1920–1923, 1926–1928, 1931–1934, and 1936. The LN was dissolved on April 20, 1946.

While the ROC appointed permanent representatives for the UN in New York, Chinese delegates took part regularly in meetings of the LN Council (i. e. during times when China was a Council member) and the LN Assembly, but apparently there were no Chinese representatives stationed permanently at the LN HQ in Geneva. Chinese diplomats taking part in said meetings included Chiang Tso-pin 蔣作賓 (1884-1941, Hubei), Chu Shao-hsin 朱兆莘 (1879-1932, Guangdong), Victor Hoo Chi-tsai 胡世澤 (1894-1972, Zhejiang), Wellington Koo 顧維鈞 (1888-1985, Shanghai), Kuo T'ai-ch'i 郭泰祺 (1889-1952, Hubei), Lone Liang 梁龍 (1893-1968, Guangdong), Liu Chieh 劉鍇 (1906-1991, Tianjin), Lou Tseng-tsiang 陸徵祥 (1871-1949, Shanghai), Low Kwang-lai 樓光來 (1895-1960, Zhejiang), Alfred Sao-ke Sze 施肇基 (1877-1958, Jiangsu), Tang Tsai-fu 唐在復 (1978-1962, Shanghai), Tung Dekien 童德乾 (1887-1944?, Hubei), Wang Chung-hui 王寵惠 (1881-1958, Guangdong), Wu Kai-shen 吳凱聲 (1900-1997, Jiangsu), Wu Nan-ju 吳南如 (1898-1975, Jiangsu), Yen Hui-ch'ing 顏惠慶 (1877-1950, Shanghai), and several others.

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ROC representative office to the World Trade Organization (WTO)

✉ Permanent Mission of the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu to the World Trade Organization 中華民國常駐 WTO 代表團
No. 7 Avenue de Tournay, CH-1292 Chambésy, Geneva, Switzerland
WTO headquarters: Centre William Rappard, 154 Rue de Lausanne, CH-1211 Geneva 21, Switzerland (The WTO logo is shown on the right) ———————————— 🌏 WTO – Web link

The WTO officially commenced on Jan. 1, 1995 in succession to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) which had been signed on Oct. 30, 1947 by 23 countries in Geneva (Switzerland) and came into force on Jan. 1, 1948. The ROC was admitted to the WTO as a full member under the name "Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu" (Tai Peng Jin Ma gebie guanshui lingyu 臺澎金馬個別關稅領域) on Jan. 1, 2002.

Taiwan representatives to the WTO

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Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)

✉ Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) [Secretariat]
35 Heng Mui Keng Terrace, Queenstown, Singapore 119616 ———————————— 🌏 APEC – Web link

APEC (= Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, in Chinese: Yazhou taipingyang jingji hezuo zuzhi 亞洲太平洋經濟合作組織) was established in Canberra (Australia) on Nov. 6–7, 1989. The 12 founding members were Australia, Brunei, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and the US; Taiwan became an APEC member on Nov. 13, 1991 under the name "Chinese Taipei". Other members that joined APEC since 1991—Hong Kong, PRC (November 1991); Mexico, Papua New Guinea (November 1993); Chile (November 1994); Peru, Russia, Vietnam (November 1998). Usually member economies are represented at APEC summits of economic leaders by their respective head of state. Due to pressure from the PRC, most countries in the world refuse to recognize the ROC as a sovereign state, therefore Taiwan sends high-ranking (and in most cases retired) politicians or well-known business tycoons instead.

Taiwan's representatives at summits of APEC Economic Leaders

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Boao Forum for Asia (BFA)

✉ Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) [Secretariat]
42 F., China World Tower A, No. 1 Jianguomenwai Avenue, Beijing 100004, PRC [100004 北京市朝陽區建國門外大街 1 號（國貿大廈 A 座 42 層）] ———————————— 🌏 BFA – Web link

BFA (Boao Yazhou luntan 博鰲亞洲論壇) was initiated in 1998 and formally inaugurated Feb. 26–27, 2001. It was named after Boao Town 博鰲鎮 (Qionghai City 瓊海市, Hainan Province, PRC) where the conference has been taking place annually since April 2002. The 26 participating economies are Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, the PRC, South Korea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

Taiwan's representatives at the BFA

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◆ The ROC and the US

• Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO)
• US representatives to the ROC before 1979
• American Institute in Taiwan (AIT)
• Milestones in the ROC –US bilateral relations
• Ⓧ Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG)
• Ⓧ United States Taiwan Defense Command (USTDC)
• ROC-USA Business Council
• U.S.–Taiwan Business Council
• American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan (AmCham)
• Stopovers of sitting ROC presidents in the US

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Brief remarks about the relations between the US and the ROC / Taiwan

Since the US recognized the ROC government on May 2, 1913, the two states have maintained more or less close relations. Together they fought Japan in WWII after Japan first attacked the ROC on Sept. 18, 1931 and then the US on Dec. 7, 1941, and following the start of the Korean War on June 25, 1950 the US kept supporting the ROC on Taiwan as an anti-communist stronghold.

Bilateral relations started cooling after US President Nixon's trip to the PRC in February 1972, and although the US and the PRC formally established diplomatic relations on Jan. 1, 1979 (resulting in the severance of US-ROC diplomatic ties), the US continued supporting the ROC. Following the formal closure of the respective embassies, new agencies were established for unofficial diplomatic representation instead:
• For the ROC: Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO)
• For the US: American Institute in Taiwan (AIT)

TWO EASILY CONFUSED TERMS—The US currently adheres to a concept called "One China policy" (yige Zhongguo zhengce 一個中國政策), according to which Taiwan's status is undetermined. The US merely acknowledges (yet doesn't accept) the PRC's claim expressed in its "One China principle" (yige Zhongguo yuanze 一個中國原則) but opposes unilateral changes of the Status Quo by either side of the Taiwan Strait. On the other hand, the PRC's "One China principle" states that Taiwan is an 'inalienable part of China', with the PRC serving as the 'sole legitimate government of that China'. (More details about the "One China" issue can be found here.)

Another term often used in discussions about the Taiwan policy of the US is "strategic ambiguity" (zhanlue mohu 戰略模糊). It suggests that the nature of the US's commitment to defend Taiwan has been left purposely vague, serving US interests in keeping a peaceful Status Quo and maintaining relationships with China and Taiwan. The US is committed by the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) to provide Taiwan with defensive weapons, at the same time the US have consistently stated that they do not support Taiwan independence. It should be noted that "strategic ambiguity" is not official Taiwan policy of the US which in fact is based on the TRA, the three joint communiqués (sange lianhe gongbao 三個聯合公報)—Shanghai Communiqué, Normalization Communiqué, August 17th Communiqué—and the Six Assurances.

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Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO)

✉ ROC Representative Office in the US / Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO) 駐美國台北經濟文化代表處
No. 4201 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington DC 20016, USA ———————————— 🌏 TECRO – Web link

Before January 1979, the ROC and the US had formal diplomatic relations which ended when the Carter administration switched diplomatic recognition to the PRC. Since then, Taiwan's envoy in Washington DC no longer uses the title of ambassador (dashi 大使) and is called representative (daibiao 代表) instead. The former embassy of the ROC in the US was transformed into the "Coordination Council for North American Affairs, Office in the United States of America" (bei Mei shiwu xietiao weiyuanhui zhu Meiguo banshichu 北美事務協調委員會駐美國辦事處) and renamed "Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States" (zhu Meiguo Taibei jingji wenhua daibiaochu 駐美國台北經濟文化代表處, abbrev. TECRO) on Oct. 10, 1994.

ROC representatives to the US

An important institution under TECRO is the R.O.C. Defense Mission to the U.S.A. (Zhonghua minguo zhu Mei junshi daibiaotuan 中華民國駐美軍事代表團, 🏁—tuanzhang 團長) aka Defense Mission of Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office ("TECRO/DM") which handles defense and security affairs between the ROC and the US, and procurement matters in the US as authorized by the ROC MND.

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US representatives to the ROC before 1979

In addition to relations in the area of diplomacy and trade, the ROC and the US also maintained close ties in military cooperation and coordination between the 1940s and the late 1970s, especially during WWII as well as the Korean War and the Vietnam War when the two countries had common adversaries. In this context, two organizations are worth mentioning—the Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) and the United States Taiwan Defense Command (USTDC). Their work in Taiwan ended when the diplomatic relations between the ROC and the US were terminated. More details about the MAAG and USTDC can be found further below.

US ambassadors to the ROC

After the end of formal diplomatic relations between the ROC and the US, the former US embassy in Taipei was renamed American Institute in Taiwan (Meiguo zai Tai xiehui 美國在台協會, abbrev. AIT) according to the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act of the Carter administration. A special feature of the AIT is its dual leadership—it is headed by a chairman (lishi zhuxi 理事主席) based in Washington DC and a director (Taibei banshichu chuzhang 台北辦事處處長, abbrev. chuzhang 處長) stationed in Taipei. The AIT also operates a smaller branch office in Kaohsiung.

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American Institute in Taiwan (AIT)

✉ American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) 美國在台協會

Washington HQ—Suite 1700, No. 1700 North Moore Street, Arlington, Virginia 22209, USA; Taipei Office 台北辦事處: No. 100 Jinhu Road, Neihu District, Taipei City 11461, Taiwan ROC [11461 台北市內湖區金湖路 100 號]; Kaohsiung Branch Office 高雄分處: 5 F., No. 88 Chenggong 2nd Road, Qianzhen District, Kaohsiung City 80661, Taiwan ROC (China Steel Building) [80661 高雄市前鎮區成功二路 88 號 5 樓（中鋼集團總部大樓）]. ———————————— 🌏 AIT – Web link

Please note that on June 12, 2018 a dedication ceremony for the new AIT office complex in Taipei's Neihu was held there. Services in the old offices—No. 7, Lane 134, Xinyi Road Sec. 3, Daan District, Taipei City 10659, Taiwan ROC [10659 台北市大安區信義路 3 段 134 巷 7 號]—ceased on May 1, 2019 and were resumed in the new compound on May 6, 2019. The Xinyi compound was the former site of the Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) which was shut down in March 1979.

AIT Taipei directors

AIT Washington chairs

AIT Kaohsiung Branch Office chiefs

Please note that the Chinese name of John A. Froebe Jr. is sometimes written like this: 傅仁傑 (with a different third character).
  The AIT Kaohsiung Branch Office moved into its current premises on Aug. 8, 2014. Between 1986 and 2014 it used office space at 5 F., No. 2 Zhongzheng 3rd Road, Xinxing District, Kaohsiung City 80052, Taiwan ROC [80052 高雄市新興區中正三路 2 號 5 樓].

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Milestones in the ROC-US bilateral relations

Note: Mentions of US senators in above timeline include information about the state they represent and their respective political party affiliation. D stands for Democratic Party, R for Republican Party; the USPS abbreviations for the US states are listed below.

Please note that the District of Columbia is a federal district of the US and does not belong to any US state. There are also additional USPS abbreviations which stand for unincorporated territories of the United States (see the following list).

The official name of the US Mariana Islands is "Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands" (CNMI) aka Northern Mariana Islands, the official name of the US Virgin Islands is "Virgin Islands of the United States".

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Ⓧ Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG)

The MAAG (Mei jun guwentuan 美軍顧問團, 🏁—tuanzhang 團長) was formally established on May 1, 1951. US military advisers were tasked with providing arms and military advice, assisting with ROC military training, implementation of the 1954 Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty, maintaining military contacts, and monitoring the ROC forces. The last MAAG chief left Taiwan on April 28, 1979, the same day when the last USTDC commander departed. One noteworthy institution operated by MAAG was the Foreign Affairs Services Department Hostel (Taizhong Mei jun zhaodaisuo 台中美軍招待所) which was built in 1962 and located in Taichung's West District.

MAAG chiefs

Most MAAG chiefs had the military rank of Major General except Leslie R. Forney Jr. (Brigadier General) as well as Ace F. Trask and Hadley N. Thompson who both had the rank of Colonel or an equivalent rank.

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Ⓧ United States Taiwan Defense Command (USTDC)

The USTDC (Mei jun xiefang Taiwan silingbu 美軍協防臺灣司令部, 🏁—siling 司令) was set up on April 25, 1955 as Formosa Liaison Center (zhu fuermosha lianluo zhongxin 駐福爾摩沙聯絡中心) and reorganized on Nov. 1, 1955 as USTDC with headquarters in Taipei. The USTDC reported directly to the Commander-in-Chief Pacific (CINCPAC) and was composed of personnel from all branches of the US armed forces. The USTDC held its final flag retreat ceremony on April 26, 1979.

USTDC commanders

All USTDC commanders had the military rank of Vice Admiral except James B. Linder who was Rear Admiral.

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ROC-USA Business Council

✉ ROC-USA Business Council 中美經濟合作策進會
2 F., No. 85 Bade Road Sec. 4, Songshan District, Taipei City 10561, Taiwan ROC [10561 台北市松山區八德路 4 段 85 號 2 樓] ———————————— 🌏 ROC-USA Business Council – Web link

The ROC-USA Business Council (Zhong Mei jingji hezuo cejinhui 中美經濟合作策進會, 🏁—lishizhang 理事長) was set up on Feb. 26, 1977 as ROC-USA Economic Council with the support of the ROC MOEA. The current English name was adopted on April 20, 1998. Its counterpart is the U.S.–Taiwan Business Council based in the US.

ROC-USA Business Council chairpersons

Please note that there is also a Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce of North America (bei Meizhou Taiwan shanghui lianhe zonghui 北美洲台灣商會聯合總會, abbrev. bei Mei Taishang zonghui 北美台商總會 in Chinese and TCCNA in English) which was established in 1987 and is based in Flushing (New York City, USA).

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U.S.–Taiwan Business Council

✉ U.S.–Taiwan Business Council 美台商業協會
No. 1700 North Moore Street, Suite 1703, Arlington, Virginia 22209, USA ———————————— 🌏 U.S.–Taiwan Business Council – Web link

The U.S.–Taiwan Business Council (Mei Tai shangye xiehui 美台商業協會, 🏁—zhuxi 主席) was founded in December 1976 in Chicago as USA-ROC Economic Council (Meiguo Zhonghua minguo jingji lishihui 美國中華民國經濟理事會, according to some sources Mei Zhong jingji xiehui 美中經濟協會) when a group of prominent business leaders and other elite in society advocated the establishment of a regular civil channel to promote Taiwan's bilateral business relations with the USA in case of any drastic change in the diplomatic relations between the two sides. The organization was renamed US-ROC (Taiwan) Business Council (Mei Zhonghua minguo [Taiwan] shangye lishihui 美中華民國［台灣］商業理事會) in 1996, the current name was adopted in 2001. It moved from Chicago to Washington DC in 1991 and from there to Arlington in 1999. The council is a membership-based, non-profit organization. Another senior post in the organization is president (huizhang 會長).

U. S.–Taiwan Business Council chairpersons

Please note that David M. Kennedy's name is sometimes written Dawei Kennidi 大衛 • 肯尼迪 in Chinese.

U.S.–Taiwan Business Council presidents

Please note that David Laux is sometimes referred to in Chinese as Luo Dawei 羅大為.

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US–Taiwan Defense Industry Conference

Since 2002 the council has been organizing the annual US–Taiwan Defense Industry Conference (Mei Tai guofang gongye huiyi 美台國防工業會議), listed below.

AZ = Arizona; CA = California; CO = Colorado; FL = Florida; MD = Maryland; NJ = New Jersey; PA = Pennsylvania; TX = Texas; VA = Virginia. A complete list of USPS abbreviations for the states in the US can be found here.

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American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan (AmCham)

✉ American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan (AmCham) 台灣美國商會
7 F., Suite 706, No. 129 Minsheng East Road Sec. 3, Songshan District, Taipei City 10596, Taiwan ROC [10596 台北市松山區民生東路 3 段 129 號 7 樓 706 室] ———————————— 🌏 AmCham Taiwan – Web link
AmCham logo between Jan. 1, 2021 and March 30, 2022
AmCham logo before the end of 2020

The AmCham Taiwan (Taiwan Meiguo shanghui 台灣美國商會, abbrev. AmCham) was established in 1951 as American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei (Taibeishi Meiguo shanghui 台北市美國商會), the current name was adopted on Jan. 1, 2021. It is governed by an elected Board of Governors and Board of Supervisors, but much of AmCham's work is also conducted through its office staff and industry committees.

AmCham...

• is a non-profit, non-partisan business organization dedicated to promoting the interests of international business in Taiwan,
• has around 1000 members representing more than 500 companies,
• fosters the development of investment and trade between the US and Taiwan, and
• seeks to enhance Taiwan's economic environment by promoting the adoption of international business standards in the areas of legislation, regulations, and enforcement.

Please note that after AmCham was established, its top position was President (huizhang 會長), and another senior post called Executive Director (zhixingzhang 執行長) was created in 1971. In 2008, the title of President was changed to Chairman, the Executive Director has been referred to as President since.

AmCham Taiwan chairpersons since 1964

AmCham Taiwan presidents since 1971

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Humble beginnings

In the early 1950s, Taiwan-based US businessman Robert Scanland intended to import US machinery into Taiwan, but this was restricted under the US government's Marshall Plan. In order to overcome this obstacle for private companies, Scanland and two other US importers (Loris Craig and Frank Smolkin) decided to set up an American Chamber of Commerce on the island. They applied for registration with the Taipei Municipal Government, and approval was granted on Sept. 14, 1951.

On its 60^th anniversary AmCham pointed out that its first office was very small—merely a desk in the Friends of China Club (Zhongguo zhi youshe 中國之友社)—with only the most basic equipment. It has been described as being largely a social club then, and no records remain from that period. In the mid-1960s it became a more active and professional organization. After Robert H. Morehouse was elected AmCham chairman in 1965, he began improving and expanding operations based on his experiences with the AmCham in Tokyo.

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Local branches

In addition to its Taipei headquarters, AmCham Taiwan operates two local branches, one in Kaohsiung (founded on June 1, 1991) and another one in Taichung (launched on Jan. 25, 1994). AmCham Kaohsiung is currently going through national registration for the American Chamber of Commerce Southern Taiwan.

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Stopovers of sitting ROC presidents in the US

One detail that usually attracts a certain degree of attention when evaluating the relations between Taiwan and the US are stopovers/transit stops on US soil by sitting ROC presidents who are on official visits to foreign countries. The following list shows US stopovers by five ROC presidents (Lee Teng-hui, Chen Shui-bian, Ma Ying-jeou, Tsai Ing-wen, and Lai Ching-te) since 1994. For the USPS abbreviations of the US states mentioned in the list (and in above chronology) click here.

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◆ The ROC and Japan

• Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan (TECROJ)
• Japan–Taiwan Exchange Association (JTEA)
• Japan and China/Taiwan/the ROC since the 19^th century—a retrospective

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Brief remarks about the relations between Japan and the ROC / Taiwan

The history of the relations between China and Japan is multifaceted and worth studying. Until the 19^th century both countries were underdeveloped, feudal societies. Western intervention forced them to open up—Qing China with the First Opium War (1840-1842), Japan following the arrival of Commodore Perry’s “black ships” from the US at Uraga Bay near Tokyo in 1853. The encounters with the foreigners and their superior firepower were traumatic experiences for the Chinese and Japanese leaderships, leading them to transform themselves into modern regional powers. In comparison, Japan’s isolation had been more radical during their self-imposed period of “Sakoku” (suoguo 鎖國, meaning “locked country” in English) which had been in place since 1639, but thanks to much greater flexibility and pragmatism Japan managed to adapt considerably quicker. By the end of the 19th century Japan proved itself strong enough to extort significant, humiliating concessions from China after defeating the crumbling Qing in their first major military confrontation 1894/1895. Breaking Japan’s decades-long domination over China could be acccomplished only after the attack on Pearl Harbor compelled the US to join the war on the Pacific theater and provide massive military aid to the ROC.

Before 1945, Japan's relations with the ROC on the one hand and with Taiwan on the other hand are two separate stories. When the ROC was established in 1912, Taiwan was not part of it as the island (along with the Pescadores/Penghu) had been ceded to the Japanese empire in the 1895 Treaty of Shimonoseki (maguan tiaoyue 馬關條約). Five decades under Japanese colonial rule left a deep mark on Taiwan, a profound effect that has been reverberating to this day and keeps shaping the bilateral ties.

Currently the relations between Taiwan and Japan are remarkably friendly, despite the absence of formal diplomatic ties between the ROC and Japan which were severed in September 1972. Mutual generosity after natural disasters and humanitarian emergencies highlight the cordial ties, and both sides work together to contain the threat of military expansion posed by the PRC and its spread of authoritarianism. Remaining disagreements concern the question of sovereignty over the Diaoyutai/Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, the issue of Taiwanese “comfort women” (weianfu 慰安婦) in WWII and the visits of top Japanese politicians to the Yasukuni Shrine (jingguo shenshe 靖國神社 / Yasukuni Jinja 靖国神社)—which since 1978 honours late Japanese PM Tojo Hideki 東條 英機 and 13 other convicted Class-A war criminals—in Tokyo.

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Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan (TECROJ)

✉ Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan (TECROJ) 台北駐日經濟文化代表處
No. 20-2, Shirokanedai, 5-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-0071, Japan [東京都港區白金台 5-20-2] ———————————— 🌏 TECROJ – Web link

After diplomatic relations between the ROC and Japan were cut on Sept. 29, 1972, the ROC embassy in Japan was renamed "Tokyo Office, Association of East Asian Relations" (Yadong guanxi xiehui zhu Ri daibiaochu 亞東關係協會駐日代表處). Since May 20, 1992 its name is "Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan" (Taibei zhu Ri jingji wenhua daibiaochu 台北駐日經濟文化代表處, abbrev. TECROJ).

ROC representatives in Japan after WWII

Despite the absence of formal diplomatic relations, ties between the two sides have been friendly and cordial since decades. In the aftermath of severe natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons and floodings, the affected country usually receives massive humanitarian assistance and substantial private donations from the other country. One noteworthy form of bilateral interaction is the Summit on Taiwan–Japan Exchange (Tai Ri jiaoliu gaofenghui 台日交流高峰會) for local council members from both sides.

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Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association (JTEA)

✉ Japan–Taiwan Exchange Association (JTEA) 公益財團法人日本台灣交流協會

Tokyo headquarters—7 F., Aoba Roppongi Building, 3-16-33 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0032, Japan [東京都港區六本木 3-16-33 青葉六本木大廈 7 樓]; Taipei Office 台北事務所 —No. 28 Qingcheng Street, Songshan District, Taipei City 10547, Taiwan ROC [10547 台北市松山區慶城街 28 號]; Kaohsiung Office 高雄事務所 —9-10 F., No. 87 Heping 1st Road, Lingya District, Kaohsiung City 80272, Taiwan ROC [80272 高雄市苓雅區和平一路 87 號 9 、 10 樓（南和和平大樓）] ———————————— 🌏 JTEA – Web link

After Japan switched diplomatic recognition from the ROC to the PRC on Sept. 29, 1972, Japan established an organization called the "Interchange Association" (caituan faren jiaoliu xiehui 財團法人交流協會) with offices in Tokyo, Taipei and Kaohsiung, the Taipei office serving as Japan's de facto embassy in the ROC. The organization's name was changed to "Japan–Taiwan Exchange Association" (gongyi caituan faren Riben Taiwan jiaoliu xiehui 公益財團法人日本台灣交流協會, abbrev. JTEA) on Jan. 1, 2017, and a Japanese Cultural Center (Riben wenhua zhongxin 日本文化中心) was opened there on Nov. 27, 2017. The two leading positions in the JTEA are chairperson (huizhang 會長 / kaichō 会長) and president (lishizhang 理事長 / rijichō).

Japanese representatives in the ROC after WWII

Note: Some Chinese sources use different characters for Numata Mikio: 沼田 幹夫 [Zhaotian Ganfu] which have the same pronunciation in Japanese.

JTEA chairpersons

JTEA presidents

Before 1972, JTEA’s office in Kaohsiung (Riben Taiwan jiaoliu xiehui Gaoxiong shiwusuo 日本台灣交流協會高雄事務所) was Japan’s Consulate-General (zong lingshiguan 總領事館); current address: 9 F./10 F., No. 87 Heping 1st Road, Lingya District, Kaohsiung City, 80272 Taiwan ROC [80272 高雄市苓雅區和平一路 87 號 9 樓、10 樓（南和和平大樓）]. Please note that a complete list of the Kaohsiung's office director-generals between 1972 and 2000 is not available.

JTEA Kaohsiung Office director-generals since 2000

On Dec. 17, 2021 media reports revealed that due to the rising tensions across the Taiwan Strait Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (waiwusheng 外務省 / gaimushō) would appoint a “Taiwan planning official” (Taiwan qihuaguan 台灣企畫官 / Taiwan kikaku kan 台湾企画官) in a restructuring scheduled for 2022. The new Taiwan specialist would be functioning inside Section 1 for China and Mongolia (Zhongguo Menggu yike 中國・蒙古一課 / chūgoku mongoru dai ichi ka 中国・モンゴル第一課) at the ministry’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau (Yazhou dayangzhouju 亞洲大洋洲局 / ajia taiyōshū kyoku).

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Japan and China/Taiwan/the ROC since the 19^th century—a retrospective

The chronology directly below includes events covering Japan’s relations with Qing China (1871-1911), the ROC (1912-1945/1949), and Taiwan (since 1945). For details concerning Japan’s colonial rule over Taiwan (1895-1945) please click here. Original characters and pronunciation of Japanese organizations and terms can be found here.

Additional information pertaining to that subject can be found on the following pages of this website.

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◆ The ROC and Europe

• Taipei Representative Office in the EU and Belgium
• European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan (EETO)
• European Chamber of Commerce Taiwan (ECCT)
• The ROC and the Vatican
• The ROC / Taiwan and Germany
• The ROC and post-Soviet Russia

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While Taiwan maintains close and substantial informal relations with most European states, the ROC has only one diplomatic ally left on that continent: the Vatican. The last regular long-time ally in Europe to switch diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing was Portugal—formal relations were severed on Jan. 6, 1975, the ROC’s legation in Lisbon was closed in May that year. Between January 1999 and June 2001 Taiwan briefly won Macedonia (officially called “North Macedonia” since February 2019) as a diplomatic ally.

Taipei Representative Office in the EU and Belgium

✉ Taipei Representative Office in the EU and Belgium 駐歐盟兼駐比利時代表處
Boulevard du Régent 40, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium ———————————— 🌏 Taipei Representative Office in the EU and Belgium – Web link

The Taipei Representative Office in the EU and Belgium (zhu Oumeng jian zhu Bilishi daibiaochu 駐歐盟兼駐比利時代表處) was established in April 2001 based on the Taipei Representative Office in Belgium. It is responsible for maintaining ties with the European Union, the Kingdom of Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in all aspects.

Taiwan's representatives in the European Union and Belgium

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European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan (EETO)

✉ European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan (EETO) 歐洲經貿辦事處
Suite 1603, 16 F., No. 333 Keelung Road Sec. 1, Xinyi District, Taipei City 11012, Taiwan ROC [11012 台北市信義區基隆路 1 段 333 號 16 樓 1603 室（國際貿易大樓）] ———————————— 🌏 EETO – Web link

The EETO (Ouzhou jingmao banshichu 歐洲經貿辦事處, abbrev. EETO, 🏁—chuzhang 處長) was established on March 10, 2003 in Taipei by the European Commission.

Envoys of the European Union to Taiwan

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European Chamber of Commerce Taiwan (ECCT)

✉ European Chamber of Commerce Taiwan (ECCT) 歐洲在台商務協會
11 F., No. 285 Zhongxiao East Road Sec. 4, Daan District, Taipei City 10692, Taiwan ROC [10692 台北市大安區忠孝東路 4 段 285 號 11 樓] ———————————— 🌏 ECCT – Web link

The ECCT (Ouzhou zai Tai shangwu xiehui 歐洲在台商務協會) was established on Jan. 26, 1988 as European Chamber of Commerce in Taipei. The current English name was adopted on Feb. 26, 2013, the Chinese name was never changed. The organizational structure of the ECCT includes a secretariat, a board of directors and a board of supervisors.

ECCT chairpersons

Note: Peter Weiss served as Vice Chairman in 2009 and 2010 but the sitting Chairmen in both years (Philippe Pellegrin in 2009 and Nick Winsor in 2010) resigned during their terms and Peter Weiss stepped in to take over as chairman from November–December 2009 and from August–December 2010 to serve out the remainder of the chairmen's terms.

ECCT CEOs

Please note that Stefan Missinne, Barnaby Powell and Dirk van der Kamp used the title Secretary General, Bruce Stewart used the title Executive Manager. The title CEO for the head of the ECCT secretariat was first used by Theo Stiftl.

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The ROC and the Vatican

• Embassy of the ROC (Taiwan) to the Holy See
• Apostolic Nunciature in China / Nuntiatura Apostolica in Sinis

The relations between the ROC and the Holy See are special because the significance of economic considerations between Taipei and the Vatican is neglible. After the establishment of the PRC’s atheist regime in mainland China, operations of the Catholic church there were heavily restricted because the CCP regards any organization capable of mass mobilization (except itself) a threat. In the PRC, religious communities are closely monitored and kept under strict control of state organs. In contrast, after the end of WWII Catholic clerics and missionaries have been operating nearly unimpeded in Taiwan, and the ROC government also does not interfere in the appointment of Catholic bishops by the Vatican.

The Holy See is the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Catholic church in Rome and serves as central point of reference for Catholicism and the church worldwide. Apart from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Taipei (tianzhujiao Taibei zong jiaoqu 天主教台北總教區, 🏁—zong zhujiao 總主教), there are six dioceses (jiaoqu 教區) and one apostolic administration (zongzuo shuliqu 宗座署理區) in the Taiwan area.

✙  Archdiocese of Taipei (in Latin: Archidioecesis Taipehensis)
✙  Diocese of Hsinchu (Xinzhu jiaoqu 新竹教區, in Latin: Dioecesis Hsinchuensis)
✙  Diocese of Hwalien (Hualian jiaoqu 花蓮教區, in Latin: Dioecesis Hvalienensis)
✙  Diocese of Kaohsiung (Gaoxiong jiaoqu 高雄教區, in Latin: Dioecesis Kaohsiungensis)
✙  Diocese of Kiayi (Jiayi jiaoqu 嘉義教區, in Latin: Dioecesis Kiayiensis)
✙  Diocese of Taichung (Taizhong jiaoqu 台中教區, in Latin: Dioecesis Taichungensis)
✙  Diocese of Tainan (Tainan jiaoqu 台南教區, in Latin: Dioecesis Tainanensis)
✙  Kinma Apostolic Administration (Jinmen, Mazu zongzuo shuliqu 金門、馬祖宗座署理區)

Archbishops of Taipei since 1952

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Embassy of the ROC (Taiwan) to the Holy See

✉ Embassy of the ROC (Taiwan) to the Holy See / Ambasciata della Repubblica di Cina (Taiwan) presso la Santa Sede 中華民國駐教廷大使館
Via della Conciliazione 4/D, 00193 Rome, Italy ———————————— 🌏 Embassy of the ROC (Taiwan) to the Holy See – Web link

Official relations between the ROC and the Holy See date back to July 1942, and on the non-diplomatic level an apostolic delegation had been stationed in China since 1922. In June 1959 the status of the ROC's legation (gongshiguan 公使館) was upgraded to embassy (dashiguan 大使館). After the Chinese Communists seized power on the mainland in 1949, the PRC expelled ambassador Antonio Riberi on Sept. 4, 1951 and cut ties with the Vatican. The Holy See subsequently resumed relations with the ROC government on Taiwan.

ROC ambassadors to the Holy See

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Apostolic Nunciature in China / Nuntiatura Apostolica in Sinis

✉ Apostolic Nunciature in China/Nuntiatura Apostolica in Sinis 教廷駐華大使館
1 F., No. 7-1 Lane 265, Heping East Road Sec. 2, Daan District, Taipei City 10667, Taiwan ROC [10667 台北市大安區和平東路 2 段 265 巷 7-1 號 1 樓]

The official titles of the Vatican's representatives in the ROC were as follows—apostolic delegates to China (zhu Hua zongzuo daibiao 駐華宗座代表) between 1922 and 1946, apostolic internuncios to China (zhu Hua jiaoting gongshi 駐華教廷公使) between 1946 and 1966, and apostolic nuncios to China (zhu Hua jiaoting dashi 駐華教廷大使) since 1966.

Representatives of the Holy See in the ROC

Another version for Stefano Mazzotti's name in Chinese occasionally used is "Ma Defan" (馬德範).

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The ROC / Taiwan and Germany

• Taipei Representation in the Federal Republic of Germany
• Sino-German Cultural and Economic Association (CDKWV)
• German Cultural Center Taipei / Goethe Institute Taipei
• German Trade Office (GTO)
• German Institute Taipei

OVERVIEW—Diplomatic relations between the ROC and Germany ended when Hitler's Third Reich recognized a pro-Japanese counter-government led by Wang Ching-wei 汪精衛 in Nanjing on July 1, 1941, and on Dec. 9 that year the ROC declared war on Germany (state of war was terminated effective on Oct. 20, 1955). Formal diplomatic relations were never resumed after the Federal Republic of Germany (abbrev. FRG, i. e. West Germany) was founded on May 23, 1949. The ROC set up an office in West Germany's capital Bonn in 1958, staffed with GIO officials, and started stationing MOFA officials there in 1980. A German Cultural Center, established in 1963 in Taipei by the Munich-based Goethe Institute, was authorized to issue visas, the consular functions were transferred to the German Trade Office (GTO) in 1981 and from there to the German Institute in Taipei in 2000. Neither Taiwan's representative offices in Germany nor Germany's offices in Taipei ever received the formal title of embassy. The German Democratic Republic (abbrev. GDR, i. e. East Germany)—established on Oct. 7, 1949—recognized the PRC on Oct. 27, 1949, the FRG followed suit on Oct. 11, 1972, and diplomatic relations between Beijing and Berlin continued after Germany's reunification on Oct. 3, 1990.

Taipei Representation in the Federal Republic of Germany

✉ Taipei Representation in the Federal Republic of Germany / Taipeh Vertretung in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland 駐德國臺北代表處
Berlin HQ—Markgrafenstr. 35, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Hamburg office (Büro Hamburg)—Mittelweg 144/2. OG, 20148 Hamburg, Germany; Munich office (Büro München)—Leopoldstr. 28 A/V, 80802 München, Germany; Frankfurt office (Büro Frankfurt am Main)—Friedrichstr. 2-6, 60323 Frankfurt/Main, Germany ———————————— 🌏 Taipeh Vertretung in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland – Web link

The first office the ROC government set up in West Germany after WWII was the "Freichina-Informationsdienst" (ziyou Zhongguo xinwenshe 自由中國新聞社 ≈ Free China Information Service), established in October 1958 in Bonn and staffed with ROC GIO officials, renamed to "Fernost-Informationen Bonn" (yuandong xinwenshe Boang zongchu 遠東新聞社波昂總處 ≈ Far East Information Bonn HQ) on Dec. 31, 1973.

In addition, on Oct. 20, 1980 the ROC MOFA set up the Vertretung in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (zhu Deguo daibiaochu 駐德國代表處 ≈ Representation in Germany) which became the "Taipei Wirtschafts- und Kulturbüro" (zhu Deguo Taibei jingji wenhua daibiaochu 駐德國臺北經濟文化代表處 ≈ Taipei Economic and Cultural Office) on Sept. 23, 1992 with a subordinate department under GIO supervision. That office was renamed to "Taipeh Vertretung in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland" (zhu Deguo Taibei daibiaochu 駐德國臺北代表處 ≈ Taipei Representative Office in the Federal Republic of Germany) on July 1, 1997, and it moved from Bonn to Berlin on Oct. 4, 1999.

Today the ROC maintains four offices in Germany—the headquarters in Berlin, plus three branches in Hamburg, Frankfurt/Main, and Munich. The de-facto ambassador of the ROC in Germany uses the official title "Representative of the ROC in Germany" (Zhonghua minguo zhu Deguo daibiao 中華民國駐德國代表).

ROC representatives in Germany after WWII

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Sino-German Cultural and Economic Association (CDKWV)

✉  Chinese-German Culture and Business Association / Chinesisch-deutscher Kultur- und Wirtschaftsverband (CDKWV) 中德文化經濟協會
8 F., No. 24 Nanjing East Road Sec. 1, Zhongshan District, Taipei City 10444, Taiwan ROC [10444 台北巿中山區南京東路 1 段 24 號 8 樓] ———————————— 🌏 CDKWV – Web link

The oldest organization in Taiwan/ROC focused on the relations with Germany is the "Chinesisch-Deutscher Kultur- und Wirtschaftsverband" (Zhong De wenhua jingji xiehui 中德文化經濟協會, abbrev. CDKWV, ≈ Sino-German Cultural and Economic Association, 🏁—lishizhang 理事長) which was established in 1933. While its leadership was recruited from high-ranking ROC politicians in the first decades, it gradually lost its significance following the socio-political changes in Taiwan since the 1980s. Today its main area of activities is educational exchange between Taiwan and Germany.

CDKWV presidents