The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China () is the first-ranked
executive department of the
State Council State Council may refer to:
Government
* State Council of the Republic of Korea, the national cabinet of South Korea, headed by the President
* State Council of the People's Republic of China, the national cabinet and chief administrative auth ...
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 most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. 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 cou ...
, 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 ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
, the country's primary diplomatic quarter.
The MFA's primary functions include formulating
foreign policy
A State (polity), 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 bilaterall ...
, 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 international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
, negotiating foreign treaties and agreements, and advising the
State Council State Council may refer to:
Government
* State Council of the Republic of Korea, the national cabinet of South Korea, headed by the President
* State Council of the People's Republic of China, the national cabinet and chief administrative auth ...
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 leader ...
. 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 northeast ...
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
information technology system
Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information technology system (I ...
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 technolog ...
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 ide ...
,
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, 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, 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 (econom ...
s, and other bodies of the
State Council of China.
* 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 One-party state, sole ruling party of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victoriou ...
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
There are 123 diplomatic missions in Hong Kong, of which 62 are consulates-general and 61 are consulates (including those represented by honorary consuls, denoted by ) and six officially recognised bodies in Hong Kong. As Hong Kong has the ...
about their floor plans, lease details, and staff residences, and also asked to inspect new premises before staff enter them.
References
Citations
Sources
*
*
See also
*
Ambassadors of China
This article contains several lists of ambassadors from China. The incumbents change from time to time; sometimes a post starts or stops being temporarily headed by a lower ranking diplomat. Occasionally, a post is created or abolished.
In acco ...
*
Ministries of the People's Republic of China
The executive branch of the central government of the People's Republic of China, the 13th State Council, is currently made up of 26 Constituent Departments of the State Council ().
The 26 cabinet-level executive departments are:
* 21 ministr ...
*
Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China
*
*
China Foreign Affairs University
China Foreign Affairs University (CFAU; ) is a public university for diplomats located in Beijing, China. It is jointly administrated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education. It is a Chinese state Double First Class Un ...
*
*
Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Macao Special Administrative Region
External links
*
{{authority control
Foreign relations of China
Foreign Affairs
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
Chaoyang District, Beijing
People's Republic of China diplomacy