Unofficial diplomatic relations are nevertheless maintained on both sides by means of "de facto" embassies, which are technically "private organizations" staffed and funded by the respective State Departments. The ROC's "de facto" embassy network is the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) with offices in Washington, D.C., 12 other U.S. cities and many other countries without official ties. The US' analogous organization is the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT). As of 2010, officials of the ROC had made quasi-official level US visits at a governmental and political level.