The Institute of International Relations (IIR, 國際關係研究中心) is Taiwan’s largest research institution dedicated to the understanding of international issues.

IIR was established on April 1, 1953 as a government think-tank to provide analysis to high-level government departments. The Institute became linked with National Chengchi University (NCCU, 國立政治大學) in 1967, and collaborated with the University in 1968 to open the Graduate Institute of East Asian Studies (東亞研究所). In 1970, IIR moved to its present location near the NCCU main campus and later that year hosted its first Sino-American Conference on Mainland China (中美中國大陸問題研討會), an annual international event which brings together scholars from the United States, Taiwan, and elsewhere to discuss issues central to US-China relations. IIR became officially affiliated with NCCU in July 1975, and is now under NCCU’s organizational umbrella.

The director of the Institute oversees research staff divided into four main divisions. The First Division (第一研究所) conducts research on the international political and economic relations of North and South America, Europe, and Africa. The second Division (第二研究所) covers similar topics in Asia, Oceania, and the Pacific Rim. The Third and Fourth Divisions (第三、四研究所) focus on the affairs of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The former analyzes PRC ideology, politics, law, foreign relations, and military affairs, while the latter analyzes the PRC’s social, economic, cultural, and minority affairs. Several fora such as the EU Research Forum, Japan Forum, South Asia Forum, and Forum for African Studies in Taiwan are based at IIR and operate as major research groups under the guidance of different research fellows. Moreover, the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific (CSCAP) Taiwan secretariat is also located at IIR.

IIR has an impressive array of resources. The IIR library boasts over 120,000 books, 600 periodical titles, and 45 newspapers in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and various Western languages. One oft-used database, an impressive collection of newspaper clippings (in both English and Chinese), is filed by topic with selections dating back to 1949. The Institute is also an active publisher, having produced over 150 books, monographs, and other volumes. IIR produces a wide range of journals. Issues & Studies, now a quarterly, publishes articles on China, Taiwan, and East Asian affairs. Similarly titled journals by IIR are the bi-monthly Wenti yu Yanjiu (Mandarin Chinese), and the monthly Montai to Kenkyu (Japanese). IIR also publishes Mainland China Studies in Mandarin Chinese. All these periodicals are separate regarding content and editorial staff. Researchers are invited to visit the IIR website <http://iir.nccu.edu.tw/> for additional information.