[a] Due to the One-China policy held by the People's Republic of China on the Chinese mainland, other states are only allowed to maintain relations with one of the two countries.
[2] As most countries have changed their recognition to the latter over time, only 13 of Taiwan's diplomatic missions have official status, consisting of twelve embassies and one consulate-general.
[1] This makes Taiwan one of the few countries in the world that has resident embassies in all of the states with which it has formal diplomatic relations.
[3] In addition, Taiwan has informal relations with Somaliland, a state that is not internationally recognized by any other country, including China.
[4][5] To serve these locations and other places throughout the world, 92 semi-official representative offices are utilized for matters that would otherwise be handled by embassies or consulates.