It is led by the minister of foreign affairs, currently Wang Yi, who serves as the nation's principal representative abroad.

The Ministry is subordinate to the Central Foreign Affairs Commission, which decides on policy-making and led by General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party.

[7] The MFA of the PRC was established in September 1954, after the first meeting of the National People's Congress, and became a department of the State Council.

[10] However, the movement gradually caught the Ministry's attention and after Mao received a letter from a member of the Communist Party of Austria complaining about the conduct and extravagance of Chinese diplomats in the country, he instructed Chen, writing, "[R]evolutionize or there will be danger".

[12] The Ministry started recalling personnel overseas back into Beijing in 1967 to take part in the Cultural Revolution, causing immense strains in China's diplomatic corps.

[20] After Deng Xiaoping's rise to power, diplomatic missions abroad were instructed to focus on Four Modernizations campaign.

[21] In 1982, Hu Yaobang, then leader of the CCP, called a meeting with senior diplomats to demand the "rectification" of the Ministry, focusing on making it less ideological.

[23] Wage and bureaucratic reforms continued during the 1990s, with many diplomatic missions cutting staff and starting to employ locals.

[24] As China's engagement with the world increased, the ministry established the Department of External Security Affairs in 2004, with its function being protecting citizens abroad.

[26] The Ministry's significance in China's foreign policy establishment has increased since 2009 and it has a higher profile both domestically and internationally.

[28] The ministry is headed by the minister of foreign affairs, who is appointed by the National People's Congress or its Standing Committee after a nomination by the premier.

[8]: 104  From its outset, the ministry has required that its diplomats operate in pairs, although enforcement of the rule has varied over time.

[41] The ministry got its current headquarters in 1997, which is located in Chaoyang District, Beijing, the country's primary diplomatic quarter.