Mainland Affairs Council

Mainland Affairs Council
大陸委員會
Agency overview
Formed	August 1988 (as Inter-Agency Mainland Affairs Committee); 28 January 1991 (as MAC)
Jurisdiction	Republic of China
Headquarters	Zhongzheng, Taipei, Taiwan;
Ministers responsible	Chiu Chui-cheng, Minister; Liang Wen-jie, Shen You-zhong, Lee Li-chen, Deputy Ministers;
Parent agency	Executive Yuan
Child agency	Straits Exchange Foundation;
Website	www.mac.gov.tw
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	大陸委員會
Simplified Chinese	大陆委员会
Literal meaning	Mainland Committee
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Dàlù Wěiyuánhuì
Hakka
Pha̍k-fa-sṳ	Thai-liu̍k Vî-yèn-fi
Southern Min
Hokkien POJ	Tāi-lio̍k Úi-oân-hōe
Tâi-lô	Tāi-lio̍k Úi-uân-hūe

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

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, though both sides control only part of the claimed territory. The affairs related to the PRC in mainland China is dealt by the MAC, instead of 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] It is administered by a cabinet level Minister. The current Minister is Chiu Tai-san. The agency funds and indirectly administers the Straits Exchange Foundation which directly interacts with agencies from the PRC.

History

The government of ROC does not recognize the legitimacy and sovereignty of PRC since its establishment in 1949, and heated armed conflicts went on between both parties. The Republic of China controls only Taiwan, Penghu, and some other islands, and therefore is usually known as "Taiwan", sometimes referred to as the "Free Area" in 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 as "China". As the relation between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait cooled down, ROC government allowed family-related visits to mainland China in November 1987. The Executive Yuan 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]

As cross-strait relations worsened again in the early 2020s, 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 in 2024 out of national security concerns.^[4] In January 2025, the MAC revoked the operating license of The Strait Herald due to its united front work on the island.^[5]

Organizational structure

The agency is organized in the following departments:^[6]

Internal departments

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

Secretariat
Personnel Office
Accounting Office
Civil Servant Ethics Office
Information Management

Others

List of MAC heads

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		Hau Pei-tsun Lien Chan
3	Vincent Siew 蕭萬長	15 December 1994	3 December 1995	353		Lien Chan
—	Kao Koong-lian 高孔廉	3 December 1995	27 February 1996	86		Lien Chan
4	Chang King-yuh 張京育	28 February 1996	31 January 1999	1068		Lien Chan Vincent Siew
5	Su Chi 蘇起	1 February 1999	19 May 2000	473		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 as acting 林正義	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		Su Tseng-chang II Chen Chien-jen
14	Chiu Chui-cheng 邱垂正	20 May 2024	Incumbent	874		Cho Jung-tai

References

1 2 "Mainland Affairs Council, Republic of China (Taiwan)". 22 February 2017. Archived from the original on 5 May 2024. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
1 2 3 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 5 May 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
↑ "Taiwan calls time on Mongolia and Tibet affairs commission". South China Morning Post. 16 August 2017. Archived from the original on 25 June 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
↑ "Taiwan bans its citizens from working for China's Confucius Institutes". Focus Taiwan. 3 May 2024. Archived from the original on 3 May 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
↑ Kerimu, Aynur (27 January 2025). "Expulsion of PRC Media Outlet Reveals Scale of Taiwan's Information Challenge". Jamestown Foundation. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
↑ "Organizational Structure of the MAC ─ Mainland Affairs Council". Archived from the original on 8 May 2014.

External links

Official website
Media related to Mainland Affairs Council at Wikimedia Commons

[autogenerated1-1] 1 2 "Mainland Affairs Council, Republic of China (Taiwan)". 22 February 2017. Archived from the original on 5 May 2024. Retrieved 23 March 2013.

[tail-2] 1 2 3 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 5 May 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2017.

[3] "Taiwan calls time on Mongolia and Tibet affairs commission". South China Morning Post. 16 August 2017. Archived from the original on 25 June 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2020.

[4] "Taiwan bans its citizens from working for China's Confucius Institutes". Focus Taiwan. 3 May 2024. Archived from the original on 3 May 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.

[5] Kerimu, Aynur (27 January 2025). "Expulsion of PRC Media Outlet Reveals Scale of Taiwan's Information Challenge". Jamestown Foundation. Retrieved 31 January 2025.

[6] "Organizational Structure of the MAC ─ Mainland Affairs Council". Archived from the original on 8 May 2014.

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Related	Cross-strait propaganda Fujian–Taiwan relationship Hong Kong–Taiwan relations Hong Kong–Taiwan Economic and Cultural Co-operation and Promotion Council Taiwan–Hong Kong Economic and Cultural Co-operation Council Hong Kong and Kowloon Trades Union Council Pro-ROC camp Macau–Taiwan relations Taiwan Entry Permit Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Resident Cross-strait language database ECFA Debate Opinion polling on Taiwanese identity Political status of Taiwan Mainland spouses Milk Tea Alliance Taishang Taiwan independence movement United front in Taiwan Taiwan delegation to the National People's Congress The World Turned Upside Down Go and Reclaim the Mainland Pro–Republic of China sentiment 2045 Reversed Front Zero Day Attack
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