The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China () is the first-ranked

executive department The Executive, also referred as the Executive branch or Executive power, is the term commonly used to describe that part of government which enforces the law, and has overall responsibility for the governance of a state. In political systems ba ...

of the State Council of the

Chinese government The Government of the People's Republic of China () is an authoritarian political system in the People's Republic of China under the exclusive political leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It consists of legislative, executive, m ...

, responsible for the

foreign relations A state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterally or through m ...

of the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

. It is led by the

Foreign Minister A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...

, currently

State Councilor A state councillor () is a high-ranking position within the State Council, the executive organ of the Chinese government (comparable to a cabinet). It ranks immediately below the Vice-Premiers and above the ministers of various departments. ...

Wang Yi, who serves as the nation's principal representative abroad. The ministry is headquartered in Chaoyang District,

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's Li ...

, the country's primary diplomatic quarter. The MFA's primary functions include formulating

foreign policy A state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterally or through ...

, administering the nation's

diplomatic missions A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually deno ...

, representing Chinese interests at the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...

, negotiating foreign treaties and agreements, and advising the State Council on foreign affairs. However, the Foreign Affairs Ministry is subordinate to the

Central Foreign Affairs Commission The Central Foreign Affairs Commission is a commission of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that exercises general oversight on matters related to foreign affairs. It is currently chaired by CCP General Secretary and P ...

, which decides on policy-making and led by

General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party The general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party () is the head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Since 1989, the CCP general secretary has been the paramount lead ...

. Foreign policies concerning the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeas ...

fall under the jurisdiction of the

Taiwan Affairs Office The Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council is an administrative agency under the State Council of Mainland China. It is responsible for setting and implementing guidelines and policies related to the Republic of China (Taiwan), as stipul ...

. As of 2019, the ministry maintains the largest diplomatic network in the world, with 276 embassies and consulates.

Organization

The Ministry consists of 29 individual offices, including departments responsible for specific regions, policy areas, as well as administration of the Ministry itself. Each office is headed by a director-general with at least two deputy directors-general. The offices are: * The General Office (办公厅): Circulates communications within the Ministry, manages

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s, and coordinates with foreign parties in response to crises. * The Department of Policy Planning (政策规划司): Responsible for research, analysis, and policy formulation related to international affairs. Writes speeches and other major foreign policy documents. Conducts work relevant to Chinese diplomatic history. * The Department of Asian Affairs (亚洲司) * The Department of West Asian and North African Affairs (西亚北非司) * The Department of African Affairs (非洲司) * The Department of European-Central Asian Affairs (欧亚司) * The Department of European Affairs (欧洲司) * The Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs (北美大洋洲司) * The Department of Latin American Affairs (拉丁美洲司) * The Department of International Organizations and Conferences (国际司) * The Department of International Economic Affairs (国际经济司) * The Department of Arms Control (军控司) * The Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs (边界与海洋事务司) * The Department of Treaty and Law (条约法律司) * The Information Department (新闻司): Manages press relations and public presentation of Chinese foreign policy. Headed by spokeswoman

Hua Chunying Hua Chunying (; born 24 April 1970) is a Chinese official and former diplomat serving as spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China since 2012 and as the Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2021. H ...

. * The Protocol Department (礼宾司): Handles matters related to

protocol Protocol may refer to: Sociology and politics * Protocol (politics), a formal agreement between nation states * Protocol (diplomacy), the etiquette of diplomacy and affairs of state * Etiquette, a code of personal behavior Science and technology ...

in diplomatic events and ceremonies. * The Department of Consular Affairs (领事司) * The Department of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs (港澳台司) * The Department of Translation and Interpretation (翻译司): Manages and provides training for interpretation and translation work in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

, and

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

at international events and for state diplomatic events and documents. Regional departments are responsible for general translation and interpretation work within their respective regions. * The Department of Foreign Affairs Management (外事管理司): Drafts and oversees regulations related to foreign affairs for sub-national entities such as local governments,

state-owned enterprise A state-owned enterprise (SOE) is a government entity which is established or nationalised by the ''national government'' or ''provincial government'' by an executive order or an act of legislation in order to earn profit for the governmen ...

s, and other bodies of the

State Council of China The State Council, constitutionally synonymous with the Central People's Government since 1954 (particularly in relation to local governments), is the chief administrative authority of the People's Republic of China. It is chaired by the pr ...

. * The Department of External Security Affairs (涉外安全事务司) * The Department of Personnel (干部司) * The Bureau for Retired Personnel (离退休干部局) * The Administrative Department (行政司): Oversees planning, construction, real estate, valuable assets (antiques and artifacts), housing, infrastructure, and overall management in overseas missions. * The Department of Finance (财务司) * The Bureau of Archives (档案馆) * Office of Leading Group for Conducting Inspections in the Foreign Ministry (外交部巡视工作领导小组办公室): Overseas disciplinary investigations and policy in accordance with

Chinese Communist Party The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Ci ...

regulations. * The Bureau for Chinese Diplomatic Missions Abroad (国外工作局) * The Department of Services for Foreign Ministry Home and Overseas Offices (服务局): Oversees logistics for diplomatic missions abroad.

History

In October 2022, it was reported that the MFA asked consular missions in Hong Kong about their floor plans, lease details, and staff residences, and also asked to inspect new premises before staff enter them.

References

Citations

Sources

* *

External links

* {{authority control Foreign relations of China

Foreign Affairs ''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy a ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...