| 中华人民共和国外交部 | |
.png) Logo of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs | |
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 Headquarters of the ministry | |
| Agency overview | |
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| Formed | September 1954; 71 years ago (1954-09) |
| Preceding agency |
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| Type | Constituent Department of the State Council (cabinet-level executive department) |
| Jurisdiction | Government of China |
| Headquarters | No. 2, Chaoyangmen Nandajie,Chaoyang District,Beijing |
| Minister responsible | |
| Deputy Ministers responsible |
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| Agency executive |
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| Parent agency | State Council |
| Child agencies | |
| Website | mfa.gov.cn/eng/ |
| Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China | |||||||
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| Simplified Chinese | 中华人民共和国外交部 | ||||||
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| Alternative Chinese name | |||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 外交部 | ||||||
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TheMinistry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China is the first-rankedexecutive department of theState Council of China, responsible for the country'sforeign relations. It is led by theminister of foreign affairs, currentlyWang Yi, who concurrently serves as the director of theOffice of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission, making him China's top diplomat. The ministry is headquartered inChaoyang, Beijing, the country's primary diplomatic quarter.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of theCentral People's Government was established in October 1949, with PremierZhou Enlai serving as the first foreign minister. The ministry assumed its current form in September 1956. The ministry went through turmoil during theCultural Revolution. Under the leadership ofDeng Xiaoping, the ministry was professionalized. As China's global power and diplomatic engagement grew in the 21st century, the ministry has become more important and prominent.
The MFA's primary functions include formulatingforeign policy, administering the nation'sdiplomatic missions, representing Chinese interests at theUnited Nations, negotiating foreign treaties and agreements, and advising the State Council on foreign affairs. The Ministry is subordinate to theCentral Foreign Affairs Commission, which decides on policy-making and led byGeneral Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party. Foreign policies concerning theRepublic of China fall under the jurisdiction of theTaiwan Affairs Office. As of 2024[update], the ministry maintains the largestdiplomatic network in the world, with 274 diplomatic posts.
Before theproclamation of the People's Republic of China, theChinese Communist Party (CCP) handled foreign relations through its Foreign Affairs Group, established on 1 May 1947.[1] The Foreign Affairs Group was abolished on 30 September 1949, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of theCentral People's Government was established on 1 October 1949, the day of the PRC's proclamation.[2]Zhou Enlai, also appointed as premier, became the first foreign minister of the PRC.[2] The ministry was formally inaugurated by Zhou on 8 November 1949.[3]
The Ministry initially had 170 staff, a number which increased to nearly 2,000 by 1960.[4] Of the 17 ambassadors appointed abroad between October 1949 and 1952, twelve were senior military officials, nine were survivors of the Long March and only three had previously been abroad.[5] Additionally, the new Ministry did not recruit former diplomats from theKuomintang that opted to stay in the PRC, instead creating a new diplomatic corps entirely.[6] The MFA of the PRC was established in September 1954, after the first meeting of theNational People's Congress, and became a department of theState Council. The Ministry's importance to China's foreign policy apparatus has increased and decreased over time.[7]: 24
In 1956, as China's diplomat engagement increased, a West Asian and African Affairs was established; previously Western European and African affairs were handled by the same department.[4] During this period, Zhou oversaw the professionalization and formalization of the Ministry, including establishing standard operating procedures on areas such as the Ministry's official responsibilities and training guidelines.[4] The Ministry was hit by theAnti-Rightist Campaign, launched byMao Zedong in 1957 after theHundred Flowers Campaign, with its quota for finding "rightists" being around 5 percent. On 11 February 1958,Chen Yi succeeded Zhou as foreign minister.[8]
The Ministry personnel initially paid little attention to theCultural Revolution when it was launched in 1966, launching a few political study sessions.[9] However, the movement gradually caught the Ministry's attention and after Mao received a letter from a member of theCommunist Party of Austria complaining about the conduct and extravagance of Chinese diplomats in the country, he instructed Chen, writing, "[R]evolutionize or there will be danger".[10] This prompted Chen to instruct reforms to diplomatic protocols, and diplomatic mission abroad were required to promoteMao Zedong Thought, wearMao suits andChairman Mao badges and intensify political study sessions.[10]
The rebels within the Ministry established the "Foreign Ministry Revolutionary Rebel Station" later in 1966 and stated their intention to overthrow the CCP committee in the Ministry.[11] The Ministry started recalling personnel overseas back into Beijing in 1967 to take part in the Cultural Revolution, causing immense strains in China's diplomatic corps.[12] The rebel groups attempted to take in the Ministry in August 1967, paralyzing the Ministry's Political Department for two weeks.[13] Many of China's diplomats were sent toMay Seventh Cadre Schools after their establishment in 1968 until their disestablishment in 1971.[14] After Mao decided to restore order in the country in late 1968, Zhou started to plan bringing back normality to the Ministry,[15] and some diplomats started to return abroad in late 1969.[14] The Ministry-affiliated Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs was also re-activated.[16]: 36
By 1971, with the admission of the PRC into the United Nations, the country's diplomacy began to normalize.[17] However, the Ministry was increasingly factionalized, especially between the "Lord Qiao", associates ofQiao Guanhua, and "young girl", referring to Mao's close associatesWang Hairong andTang Wensheng, factions.[17] Chen Yi died on 6 January 1972, and was succeeded byJi Pengfei as foreign minister.[18]
AfterMao's death and the fall of theGang of Four in 1976, Qiao was purged and succeeded byHuang Hua.[19] AfterDeng Xiaoping's rise to power, diplomatic missions abroad were instructed to focus onFour Modernizations campaign.[20]
In 1982,Hu Yaobang, thenleader of the CCP, called a meeting with senior diplomats to demand the "rectification" of the Ministry, focusing on making it less ideological.[21] The Ministry was also reformed to improve professionalism and efficiency; the number of vice ministers was reduced from ten to six in 1982, and diplomats below the rank of vice minister were automatically retired after becoming older than the age of sixty since 1983. Professional diplomats were preferred over and increasingly replaced the old military veterans. Wages were also reformed, rewarding those with higher ranks and boosting incomes of diplomats abroad.[22] Wage and bureaucratic reforms continued during the 1990s, with many diplomatic missions cutting staff and starting to employ locals. Job descriptions were also clarified, and the promotion system standardized.[23]
As China's engagement with the world increased, the ministry established the Department of External Security Affairs in 2004, with its function being protecting citizens abroad.[24] It furthermore established the Center for Consular Protection in 2007.[24] China's rising stature also meant that the ministry worked together and sometimes competed with other institutions while conducting diplomacy, including theMinistry of Commerce, theMinistry of Public Security, and variousstate-owned enterprises.[25]
The Ministry's significance in China's foreign policy establishment has increased since 2009 and it has a higher profile both domestically and internationally.[7]: 7 From 2011 to 2018, its diplomatic budget doubled.[7]: 7–8 The Ministry has become increasingly visible to foreign audiences since the proliferation of its Twitter accounts and its diplomats' increased social media activity since 2019.[7]: 8 While previously China's embassies were subject to influence by various ministries, after 2019 reforms, the Ministry has veto power over financial and personnel decisions at Chinese embassies.[7]: 104
In October 2022, it was reported that the MFA askedconsular missions in Hong Kong about their floor plans, lease details, and staff residences, and also asked to inspect new premises before staff enter them.[26] In September 2023, theUnited States Department of State accused the MFA ofinformation laundering by using a fictitious opinioncolumnist named "Yi Fan" to present state narratives as "organic sentiment".[27]
The ministry is headed by theminister of foreign affairs, who is appointed by the National People's Congress or itsStanding Committee after a nomination by thepremier.[28] The minister serves as the nation's principal representative abroad.[29] The ministry leads the work ofdiplomatic missions of China abroad,[30] the largest in the world as of 2024[update] with 274 diplomatic posts.[31] More specifically, it includes 173 embassies, 91 consulates, 8 permanent missions and 2 other representations.[31]
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:[32][33]
The ministry maintains Commissioner Offices in the special administrative regions (SAR) ofHong Kong andMacau, which handle the foreign affairs of the SARs.[35][36] The ministry also operates the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs (CPIFA) for "people-to-people" diplomatic activities,[37] and jointly administers theChina Foreign Affairs University together with theMinistry of Education.[38] The ministry is also involved in theforeign aid process through administering humanitarian assistance China provides.[39]: 73
The ministry has over 5,000 diplomats and support personnel as of at least 2024.[7]: 104 From its outset, the ministry has required that its diplomats operate in pairs, although enforcement of the rule has varied over time.[40] Inside embassies and consulates, CCP branch organizations monitor the behavior of diplomats.[40] Ministry personnel are typically graduates of well-regarded Beijing and Shanghai universities, mostlyPeking University,Tsinghua University,China Foreign Affairs University, andBeijing Foreign Studies University.[7]: 78 Political loyalty remains the ministry's most important criterion in selecting recruits.[3] Following the passage of the People's Republic of China Diplomatic Missions in Foreign Countries Act, the minimum age for diplomats posted overseas was raised from 18 to 23.[7]: 108–109
In 1966, the ministry moved its headquarters to a set of buildings in the Dongjiaomin Lane, East of theForbidden City, after an earthquake damaged the old building.[41] The ministry got its current headquarters in 1997, which is located inChaoyang District,Beijing, the country's primary diplomatic quarter.[42][43]
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