Mainland Affairs Council

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.

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.

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. In January 2025, the MAC revoked the operating license of The Strait Herald due to its united front work on the island.

Organizational structure

The agency is organized in the following departments:

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

• Office of Hong Kong Affairs
• Office of Macao Affairs

List of MAC heads

References

References

1. (22 February 2017). "Mainland Affairs Council, Republic of China (Taiwan)".
2. Chi, Su. (2009). "Taiwan's relations with Mainland China". Routledge.
3. (2017-08-16). "Taiwan calls time on Mongolia and Tibet affairs commission".
4. (2024-05-03). "Taiwan bans its citizens from working for China's Confucius Institutes".
5. Kerimu, Aynur. (27 January 2025). "Expulsion of PRC Media Outlet Reveals Scale of Taiwan’s Information Challenge".
6. "Organizational Structure of the MAC ─ Mainland Affairs Council".