De facto embassy

For example, when Iraq and the U.S. broke diplomatic relations due to the Gulf War, Poland became the protecting power for the United States.

Such offices assume some of the non-diplomatic functions of diplomatic posts, such as promoting trade interests and providing assistance to its citizens and residents.

Many countries maintain formal diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China but operate unofficial "trade missions" or "representative offices" in Taipei to deal with Taiwan-related commercial and consular issues.

[17] India, which has always had diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, established an "India–Taipei Association" in 1995, which is also authorised to provide consular and passport services.

In 2007, for example, the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dermot Ahern, confirmed that Ireland recognised the Government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legitimate government of China, and that while the Taipei Representative Office in Dublin had a representative function in relation to economic and cultural promotion, it had no diplomatic or political status.

[20] In addition, Taiwan maintains "Taipei Economic and Cultural Offices" in Hong Kong and Macau, both Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China.

[37] In 2012, the two organisations' chairmen, Lin Join-sane and Chen Yunlin announced talks on opening reciprocal representative offices, but did not commit to a timetable or reach an agreement.

[48] When Hong Kong was under British administration, diplomatic missions of Commonwealth countries, such as Australia,[49] Bangladesh[50] Canada,[51] India,[52] Malaysia,[53] New Zealand[54] Nigeria[55] and Singapore[56] maintained Commissions.

[59] Macau, also a Special Administrative Region, similarly has the right to set up Macao Economic and Trade Offices around the world, which enjoy some privileges and immunities equivalent to those of a diplomatic mission under legislation passed by host countries such as Portugal, Belgium and others.

[69] Following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) in 1965, Rhodesia maintained overseas missions in Lisbon and Lourenço Marques (now Maputo) until 1975[70] and an "Accredited Diplomatic Representative" in Pretoria.

[71] The Rhodesian Information Office in Washington remained open, but its director, Ken Towsey, and his staff were deprived of their diplomatic status.

)[73] The High Commission in London, known as Rhodesia House, continued to function until it was closed in 1969, following the decision by white Rhodesians in a referendum to make the country a republic.

[75] Prior to its closure, the mission flew the newly adopted Flag of Rhodesia in a provocative gesture, as the Commonwealth Prime Ministers arrived in London for their Conference.

[77] In 1973, the Labor government of Gough Whitlam cut post and telephone links to the centre, but this was ruled illegal by the High Court.

[79] Similarly, the United States recalled its consul-general from Salisbury, and reduced consular staff,[80] but did not move to close its consulate until the declaration of a republic in 1970.

[81] South Africa, however, retained its "Accredited Diplomatic Representative" after the UDI,[82] which allowed it to continue to recognise British sovereignty as well as to deal with the de facto authority of the government of Ian Smith.

[97] Disagreements also arose with the British authorities, with the Governor, Alexander Grantham, opposing an office building for the "Commissioner for Foreign Affairs of the Provinces of Kwangtung and Kuangsi" being erected on the site of the Walled City in Kowloon.

[101] In addition to being a bona fide news agency, Xinhua also served as cover for the "underground" local branch of the Chinese Communist Party[102] known as the Hong Kong and Macau Work Committee (HKMWC).

[105] His predecessor, Xu Jiatun, was also vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Basic Law Drafting Committee, before fleeing to the United States in response to the military crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests, where he went into exile.

[109] Established in 1949, officially to promote trade ties between Macau and mainland China, it operated as the unofficial representative and "shadow government" of the People's Republic in relation to the Portuguese administration.

[110] It also served to challenge the rival "Special Commissariat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China" in the territory, which represented the Kuomintang government on Taiwan.

[114] On 21 September 1987, a Macau branch of Xinhua News Agency was established which, as in Hong Kong, became Beijing's unofficial representative, replacing Nam Kwong.

[118] The Northern Ireland Executive maintains representative offices in Brussels, Beijing and Washington, D.C.[119] Due to the further devolution of powers to the autonomous community of Catalonia in 2006, the right of the Government of Catalonia to establish delegations abroad in order to carry out its own non-diplomatic "foreign action" was recognized, while foreign affairs remained an exclusive matter of the Spanish Government.

[130] Commissions of Commonwealth countries in the dependent territory of Hong Kong, such as those of Australia, Canada and Singapore, became consulates-general in name in 1997 but continues to report directly to the respective foreign ministries.

[134] In addition, it also had a "Minister for Rhodesian Affairs" in Washington, DC operating under the aegis of the British Embassy,[135] as well representatives in Tokyo and Bonn.

[144] Following majority rule in 1994, full diplomatic relations were established, and these became High Commissions, after South Africa rejoined the Commonwealth.

[158] On 11 July, President Bill Clinton announced the normalisation of relations between the two countries, and the following month, both countries upgraded their Liaison Offices to Embassy status, with the United States later opening a consulate general in Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam opening a consulate in San Francisco, California.

[162] George H. W. Bush, later vice-president under Ronald Reagan and President between 1989 and 1993, served as Chief of the "United States Liaison Office" in Beijing between 1974 and 1975.

[163] The last holder of the post was Leonard Woodcock, formerly president of the United Auto Workers, who became the first Ambassador when full diplomatic relations were established in 1979.

[172] Under the terms of the EU proposed agreement that was accepted by both parties in March 2023, the liaison offices in each country are to be upgraded to Permanent Missions.