Taipei: Taiwan's foreign ministry is actively seeking a location for a new international nongovernmental organization (INGO) center, aimed at attracting INGOs to Taiwan and fostering unofficial diplomacy, a senior diplomat announced.
According to Focus Taiwan, Charlie Chiang, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' (MOFA) Department of NGO International Affairs, indicated that efforts to bring more INGOs to Taiwan have been ongoing since 2020. In the past five years, MOFA has facilitated the opening of 13 INGO offices in Taiwan, with another 37 organizations currently in discussions with the ministry to consider setting up their operations in the country.
Previously, an INGO center was launched in Wufeng District in Taichung in March 2018. However, Chiang mentioned that the center is no longer operational due to insufficient funding, and the building has since been repurposed to rent out office space.
Chiang highlighted that the ministry is reviewing several potential sites for the new INGO center. The chosen location must be expansive enough to accommodate multiple INGO offices. The ministry plans to allocate funds for the center's construction and opening in the fiscal year 2026 budget.
Establishing a robust INGO presence in Taiwan is considered vital for promoting track-two diplomacy. MOFA is planning to offer rent subsidies for one year to INGOs that establish offices in Taiwan and has streamlined regulations to facilitate the process. Notably, the requirement for an INGO's head to obtain residency before opening an office has been relaxed. Now, as long as they have MOFA's endorsement, they can apply to open an office before acquiring residency.
Additionally, the financial threshold for foreign foundations to set up offices in Taiwan has been lowered, with the minimum assets required reduced from NT$30 million (US$1 million) to NT$15 million. To further assist INGOs, MOFA has launched a bilingual website providing a one-stop service for application processes.