South Africa’s Request to Relocate its Office to Taiwan is Denied

South Africa’s proposal to move its representative office from the capital, Pretoria, to the commercial centre, Johannesburg, has been denied by Taiwan.

The request to move or close the office violated a 1997 agreement between the two countries, Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jeff Liu said at a news briefing. “The 1997 agreement between Taiwan and South Africa, which states that both parties may open offices in each other’s nations, has been broken by the demands of the South African administration. “The South African government’s irrational demands will never be accepted by our side,” he declared.

This choice is in line with Taiwan’s continuous defence against China’s attempts to isolate the independent island diplomatically. About the demand, Liu restated Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung’s declaration in the legislature on Monday that Taiwan “is ready for any situation.” Both Lin and Liu stressed that Taipei has the power to determine the office’s location and status because it is Taiwanese property.

South Africa has a liaison office in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, reflecting a robust commercial relationship between the two. These offices operate as unofficial embassies and consulates due to the absence of formal diplomatic relations, which were severed when South Africa recognized China instead of Taiwan.