Taipei: Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced Tuesday that it has earmarked a budget of NT$156 million (US$5.07 million) to purchase a property for its representative office in Boston.
According to Focus Taiwan, the current Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Boston operates from a rented facility at 99 Summer Street. In its budget proposal for the fiscal year 2026, MOFA has designated these funds to acquire a property at an undisclosed location in Boston, subject to the approval of the Cabinet and Legislature.
Chen Jin-ling, director-general of MOFA’s Department of General Affairs, revealed plans to acquire properties in Houston and Denver for similar purposes. Additionally, MOFA is considering purchasing a property in Sydney, Australia, although a specific location has yet to be identified.
Chen emphasized that owning properties abroad would reduce the expenditure on renting office space, ultimately saving taxpayers’ money. Ownership would also enable the accommodation of other Taiwanese government units, such as the Overseas Community Affairs Council, thereby enhancing service convenience for Taiwanese citizens overseas.
Currently, Taiwan’s foreign ministry operates 111 overseas offices, with 19 housed in government-owned properties. Since 2002, the ministry has pursued property acquisitions for its overseas offices to mitigate rental costs, having secured properties in Italy and the U.S. cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco.
