TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) aims to increase the ownership rate of diplomatic missions amid criticism that Taiwan pays excessively high rental fees for its embassies. 

Legislators have raised concerns about the low ownership rate, currently at 15.32%, of properties for foreign affairs abroad. This has resulted in significant expenditures on lease fees.

According to the latest data, only 19 out of 111 foreign offices are owned by the government. MOFA allocated NT$880 million (US$27.1 million) for overseas offices in the 2023 budget, according to CNA.

In a report to the legislature, MOFA said that over the past decade, it has purchased eight properties in Chicago, Belgium, Thailand, Los Angeles, Brisbane, San Francisco, and Italy.

The ministry has put in place measures to enhance asset management practices, including training foreign staff in procurement affairs, monitoring expense implementation, and seeking advice from experts.

MOFA has postponed plans to purchase the representative office in Australia because the price keeps increasing. Taiwan is planning to buy properties for its embassies in Boston, Denver, and Houston in the U.S.