The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that it has now purchased a
property in Sydney to house its new representative office there.

According to the ministry's Department of General Affairs, a deal was signed
to purchase a property in Sydney in April.

Department director-general Chen Jin-ling says ownership of the property was
officially transferred to the government in October and the ministry is
currently seeking a contractor to renovate the property.

Chen says renovation work could take several months, and the office is
expected to move to the new location before the end of 2027.

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Sydney is currently located in
rented office space.

The foreign ministry also says it plans to build its own embassy compound in
Belize.

The project was approved by the Cabinet last year.

It was originally estimated to cost 123-million N-T and take 25 months to
complete.

However, Taiwan's embassy in Belize said earlier this month that additional
funding would be needed for the project, citing soaring construction costs
due to conflicts in the Middle East.