MOFA allocates funds to buy representative office space in Boston

Taipei, Oct. 14 (CNA) Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Tuesday that it has allocated a budget of NT$156 million (US$5.07 million) for the purchase of a property to house its representative office in the American city of Boston.

Currently, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Boston -- Taiwan's de facto representative office in the city -- is located in a rented building at 99 Summer Street.

In MOFA's budget proposal for fiscal year 2026, it has allocated NT$156 million to buy a property at an undisclosed location in the Massachusetts state capital, pending approval of the budget by the Cabinet and Legislature.

Chen Jin-ling (陳錦玲), director-general of MOFA's Department of General Affairs, told reporters Tuesday that in addition to Boston, the ministry plans to purchase properties in Houston and Denver to house its U.S. representative offices.

MOFA is also looking to buy a property in Sydney, Australia, to house its representative office there but has not yet identified a location, Chen said at a MOFA news briefing.

The goal is to save taxpayers money that is spent on renting overseas offices, said Chen, whose department is responsible for buying or leasing space for such offices.

When MOFA owns the property in which its overseas offices are housed, it allows for the accommodation of other Taiwan government units such as the Overseas Community Affairs Council, thus providing more convenient one-stop services to Taiwanese abroad, Chen said.

Currently, the foreign ministry has 111 overseas offices, 19 of which are housed in properties owned by the Taiwan government.

Since 2002, the ministry has been trying to buy properties for its overseas offices to save on rent. In recent years, it has bought properties in Italy and in the American cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco.