Taiwan Affairs Office

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The Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council (Simplified Chinese: 国务院台湾事务办公室 pinyin: Guówùyuàn Táiwān Shìwù Bàngōngshì , sometimes abbreviated to 国台办) is an administrative agency under the State Council of the People's Republic of China. It is responsible for setting and implementing guidelines and policies related to Taiwan, as stipulated by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council.

According to the arrangement and authorization of the State Council, the office takes charge of relevant preparations for negotiations and agreements with what the PRC calls the "Taiwan authorities" (i.e., the government of the Republic of China and its authorized public organizations).

The agency administers and coordinates direct links in mail, transport and trade across the Taiwan Strait; to take charge of the media and publicity work related to Taiwan and release news and information concerning Taiwan affairs; to handle major incidents related to Taiwan.

Taiwan Affairs Council is also responsible for the coordination with overall planning the economic and trade related to Taiwan and exchanges and cooperation in such areas as finance, culture, academic research, sports, science and technology, health, etc with the departments concerned. It also manages personnel exchange, observations and symposiums between the two sides and relevant work on international conferences involving Taiwan.