Foreign Affairs Office of Tianjin Municipal People's Government (FAO) is a functional department of Tianjin Municipal People's Government taking charge of foreign affairs. It is also an administrative institution under the leadership of the Tianjin Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

The main responsibilities are:

1, To implement the general and specific policies of PRC, as well as the laws and regulations governing the foreign affairs; and to carry out the instructions and resolutions on foreign affairs given by Tianjin Municipal Committee of CPC and Tianjin Municipal People's Government;

2, To implement the principles and policies of CPC Central Committee on Hong Kong and Macao affairs; to be responsible for the business contacts and relations between Tianjin and Hong Kong, as well as between Tianjin and Macao in order to promote the exchanges and cooperation in all aspects;

3, To be responsible for the routine work of the Foreign Affairs Leader Group of CPC Tianjin Municipal Committee; to handle the foreign affairs documents submitted to CPC Tianjin Municipal Committee and Tianjin Municipal People's Government for approval by various departments and institutions of Tianjin Municipal People's Government;

4, To be a good adviser and assistant to CPC Tianjin Municipal Committee and Tianjin Municipal People's Government in foreign affairs; to investigate and explore Tianjin foreign affairs around the opening up policy; to provide advice and suggestions on the strategic decisions made by CPC Tianjin Committee and Tianjin Municipal People's Government; to inspect the departments and organizations concerned in Tianjin for their implementations of the general and specific policies, as well as laws and regulations of foreign affairs; to administrate the foreign affairs of Tianjin in a comprehensive way; to handle or assist handling Tianjin's major foreign events;

5, To be responsible for examining and approving the missions of going abroad (exclusive of going to Taiwan) for official duties, and for inviting foreigners to China under the authorization of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Tianjin Municipal People's Government; to be responsible for issuing passports and passes, applying for visas, and handling comments to the people going abroad (exclusive of going to Taiwan) for official duties; to be responsible for handling the visas and other consular affairs for foreigners holding diplomatic or official passports;

6, To be responsible for the organization and coordination of large international multilateral activities held in the name of Tianjin Municipal People's Government and Tianjin FAO; to be responsible for receiving the state guests, party guests, and delegations from Hong Kong and Macao; to be responsible for receiving foreign diplomatic envoys paying an official visit to Tianjin; to be responsible for the overall arrangements of taking part in the foreign affairs activities and official visiting abroad for the leaders of CPC Tianjin Committee, Standing Committee of Tianjin Municipal People's Congress, Tianjin Municipal People's Government and CPPCC Tianjin Committee;

7, To understand and inspect the information and conditions concerning Tianjin delegations and delegates visiting the foreign countries for official duties; to collect and classify the regularly information about Tianjin officials going abroad and foreigners paying a visit to Tianjin for official reasons; to submit regularly the written reports to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, CPC Tianjin Municipal Committee, and Tianjin Municipal People's Government;

8, To be responsible for the related affairs of Tianjin's sister cities, and districts (counties) as well as organizations of friendship;

9, To be responsible for the arrangements of the foreign reporters coming to Tianjin for interview;

10, To coordinate and manage the affairs relating to the foreign experts, foreign students and personnel on overseas training; to be responsible for the matters concerning the award of honorable titles to foreigners as well as people from Hong Kong people and Macao people; to coordinate and handle the important affairs concerning the management of foreigners;

11, To be responsible for providing foreign affairs officials and staffs in Tianjin with education and training on international situation, foreign policies and foreign affairs disciplines to; to be responsible for selecting and assigning officials and staffs in Tianjin to work in Chinese missions overseas;

12, To be responsible for providing all the departments in Tianjin with the unified external statements and the propagandistic materials on international situation, foreign polices and major international issues; to assist in checking the major foreign reports and other relevant documents;

13, To guide the foreign affairs of regions, counties, bureaus, nongovernmental associations and social associations in Tianjin;

14, To undertake other works assigned by CPC Tianjin Municipal Committee and Tianjin Municipal People's Government;

15, To examine and approve, issue, write comments and manage the pass to Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR.