Taiwan is asked by South Africa to relocate its de facto embassy from Pretoria

Taiwan accused South Africa of caving in to pressure from China after the South African government revealed Friday that it had requested that Taiwan move its de facto embassy out of the capital, Pretoria.

Given that it broke diplomatic and political ties with Taiwan in 1997, South Africa denied this description and claimed the action was normal diplomatic procedure.

According to South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation, the Taipei Liaison Office in Pretoria would be renamed a Trade Office and relocated to Johannesburg, the country’s business hub.

“Relocating what will be rebranded as Trade Offices both in Taipei and in Johannesburg… will be a true reflection of the non-political and non-diplomatic nature of the relationship between the Republic of South Africa and Taiwan,” the statement read, including the fact that the office had been given six months to relocate.

China is South Africa’s biggest commercial partner worldwide, and the two countries are hoping to work together more in fields like renewable energy.

According to Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry, its own cordial ties with South Africa are being threatened by the strengthening ties between China and South Africa.

“If the South African government still insists on submitting to China and changing the status quo… the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will… study and formulate all possible responses in order to safeguard the sovereignty and dignity of our country,” it stated in a statement.

Only a dozen countries, nearly all of them small, less developed countries, have formal connections with Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory and has no right to state-to-state interactions.

Beijing has no right to speak or represent Taiwan on the world scene, according to Taiwan’s government, which rejects China’s claims of sovereignty. China applauded the action.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated, “We applaud South Africa’s right move to move the Taipei Liaison Office in South Africa out of Pretoria, the administrative capital.”