Taiwan rejects South Africa’s "unreasonable demand" to move diplomatic office
Taiwan has rejected South Africa’s demand to relocate its representative office from Pretoria to Johannesburg, viewing this move as a violation of a long-standing agreement between the two sides.
During a news conference on Tuesday, October 22, Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jeff Liu addressed the issue, stating, “Facing this kind of unreasonable demand, our side cannot grant our acceptance.”
He explained that the request violated a 1997 agreement regarding the locations of their respective representative offices, which were established after South Africa severed formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favour of China.
South Africa still maintains a liaison office in Taipei, Taiwan's capital, as part of a strong commercial relationship between the two. Despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties, these offices act as de facto embassies, enabling continued bilateral cooperation.
Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung also reiterated Taiwan's position on Monday, October 21, saying that the government was "prepared for all eventualities" regarding the demand. Both Lin and Liu emphasised that the office is Taiwanese property, and Taipei retains full authority over its location and operations.
South Africa’s request, which surfaced last week, is seen as part of Beijing’s broader diplomatic strategy to pressure nations into marginalising Taiwan, as reported by AP News. China has long sought to diminish Taiwan’s global presence, limiting the island’s formal diplomatic partners to only 11 countries and the Vatican, while also excluding it from international organisations like the United Nations and the World Health Organisation.
China claims Taiwan as its territory and has vowed to annex the island by force if necessary. As part of its ongoing efforts to isolate Taiwan diplomatically, China has also increased military threats against the island.
Meanwhile, Taiwan continues to bolster its international support. Just last month, US President Joe Biden approved a $567 million military aid package in defence assistance to the island. China responded to this aid package by warning that it would "backfire."
On October 10, during Taiwan’s National Day celebrations, President Lai Ching-te reaffirmed the nation’s determination to resist any attempts by China to annex the democratic island. "We will resist annexation," Lai declared in his address.
