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Mainland Affairs Council

Coordinates: 25°02′33″N 121°31′11″E / 25.04250°N 121.51972°E / 25.04250; 121.51972
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25°02′33″N 121°31′11″E / 25.04250°N 121.51972°E / 25.04250; 121.51972

Mainland Affairs Council
大陸委員會
Dàlù Wěiyuánhuì (Mandarin)
Thai-liu̍k Vî-yèn-fi (Hakka)
Agency overview
FormedAugust 1988 (as Inter-Agency Mainland Affairs Committee)
28 January 1991 (as MAC)[1]
Preceding agency
  • Department of Unification (1957–1988)
JurisdictionRepublic of China
HeadquartersZhongzheng, Taipei, Taiwan
Ministers responsible
Parent agencyExecutive Yuan
Child agency
Websitewww.mac.gov.tw Edit this at Wikidata
Mainland Affairs Council
Traditional Chinese大陸委員會
Simplified Chinese大陆委员会
Literal meaningMainland Committee
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinDàlù Wěiyuánhuì
Hakka
Pha̍k-fa-sṳThai-liu̍k Vî-yèn-fi
Southern Min
Hokkien POJTāi-lio̍k Úi-oân-hōe
Tâi-lôTāi-lio̍k Úi-uân-hūe

The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) is a cabinet-level administrative agency under the Executive Yuan of the Republic of China (Taiwan). The MAC is responsible for the planning, development, and implementation of the cross-strait relations policy which targets mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau.[2]

The MAC's counterpart body in the People's Republic of China is the Taiwan Affairs Office. Both states officially claim each other's territory; however the Republic of China controls only Taiwan and Penghu as well as surrounding islands, and therefore is usually known as "Taiwan", sometimes referred to as the "Free Area" of the Republic of China by the Constitution of the Republic of China. The People's Republic of China controls mainland China as well as Hong Kong, Macau, and other islands and is therefore usually known simply as "China". Therefore, the affairs related to the PRC belongs to the MAC, not the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The council plays an important role in setting policy and development of cross-strait relations and advising the central government.[2] The agency funds and indirectly administers the Straits Exchange Foundation which is the official intermediary with the PRC. It is administered by a cabinet level Minister. The current Minister is Chiu Tai-san.

History

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In November 1987, relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have improved considerably after ROC government began to allow family-related visits to mainland China. The Executive Yuan therefore established the Inter-Agency Mainland Affairs Committee in August 1988 as a taskforce to handle mainland-related affairs among the authorities. In April 1990, the ROC government drafted the Organization Act for the Mainland Affairs Council to strengthen mainland China policy making and to enhance policy making efficiency. The third reading of the act was passed by the Legislative Yuan on 18 January 1991. On 28 January 1991, the act was promulgated by President Lee Teng-hui thus officially authorized the Mainland Affairs Council to be the agency for the overall planning and handling of affairs towards mainland China.[1][2] In 2017, some of the responsibilities of the Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission (MTAC) were absorbed into the MAC's Department of Hong Kong and Macao Affairs, creating the expanded Department of Hong Kong, Macao, Inner Mongolia, and Tibet Affairs.[3]

In 2024, the MAC banned Taiwanese citizens from working at Confucius Institutes, the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), the All-China Youth Federation, and the All-China Federation of Taiwan Compatriots due to national security concerns.[4]

Organizational structure

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Mainland Affairs Council office
Mainland Affairs Council press conference lectern

The agency is organized in the following departments:[5]

Internal departments

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  • Department of Policy Planning
  • Department of Cultural and Educational Affairs
  • Department of Economic Affairs
  • Department of Legal Affairs
  • Department of Hong Kong, Macao, Inner Mongolia, and Tibet Affairs
  • Department of Information and Liaison

Offices

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  • Secretariat
  • Personnel Office
  • Accounting Office
  • Civil Servant Ethics Office
  • Information Management

Others

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List of MAC heads

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Chiu Tai-san, the incumbent Minister of MAC.

  Non-partisan/ unknown   Kuomintang (Nationalist)   Democratic Progressive Party   Taiwan Solidarity Union

No. Name Term of Office Days Political Party Premier
1 Shih Chi-yang (施啟揚) 7 February 1991 31 May 1991 113 Kuomintang Hau Pei-tsun
2 Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) 1 June 1991 14 December 1994 1292 Kuomintang Hau Pei-tsun
Lien Chan
3 Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) 15 December 1994 3 December 1995 353 Kuomintang Lien Chan
Kao Koong-lian (高孔廉) 3 December 1995 27 February 1996 86 Kuomintang Lien Chan
4 Chang King-yuh (張京育) 28 February 1996 31 January 1999 1068 Kuomintang Lien Chan
Vincent Siew
5 Su Chi (蘇起) 1 February 1999 19 May 2000 473 Kuomintang Vincent Siew
6 Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) 20 May 2000 19 May 2004 1460 Independent Tang Fei
Chang Chun-hsiung I
Yu Shyi-kun
7 Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) 20 May 2004 10 April 2007 1055 Democratic Progressive Party Yu Shyi-kun
Frank Hsieh
Su Tseng-chang I
8 Chen Ming-tong (陳明通) 10 April 2007 19 May 2008 405 Democratic Progressive Party Su Tseng-chang I
Chang Chun-hsiung II
9 Lai Shin-yuan (賴幸媛) 20 May 2008 28 September 2012 1592 Taiwan Solidarity Union Liu Chao-shiuan
Wu Den-yih
Sean Chen
10 Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) 28 September 2012 16 February 2015 871 Kuomintang Sean Chen
Jiang Yi-huah
Mao Chi-kuo
11 Andrew Hsia (夏立言) 16 February 2015 19 May 2016 458 Kuomintang Mao Chi-kuo
Chang San-cheng
12 Katharine Chang (張小月) 20 May 2016 26 February 2018 647 Independent Lin Chuan
William Lai
Lin Cheng-yi (林正義) as acting 26 February 2018 19 March 2018 21 Independent William Lai
(8) Chen Ming-tong (陳明通) 19 March 2018 23 February 2021 1072 Democratic Progressive Party William Lai
Su Tseng-chang II
13 Chiu Tai-san (邱太三) 23 February 2021 20 May 2024 1182 Democratic Progressive Party Su Tseng-chang II
Chen Chien-jen
14 Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) 20 May 2024 Incumbent 199 Democratic Progressive Party Cho Jung-tai

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Mainland Affairs Council, Republic of China (Taiwan)". 22 February 2017. Archived from the original on 5 May 2024. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
  2. ^ a b c Chi, Su (2009). "Conciliation in cross-strait relations". Taiwan's relations with Mainland China. London and New York: Routledge. p. 4. ISBN 978-0-415-46454-3. Archived from the original on May 5, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
  3. ^ "Taiwan calls time on Mongolia and Tibet affairs commission". South China Morning Post. 2017-08-16. Archived from the original on 2020-06-25. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  4. ^ "Taiwan bans its citizens from working for China's Confucius Institutes". Focus Taiwan. 2024-05-03. Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
  5. ^ "Organizational Structure of the MAC ─ Mainland Affairs Council". Archived from the original on 2014-05-08.
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