US warns SA over Taiwan 'bullying'

Taiwan has hit back at South Africa, insisting that it is not going to move its Pretoria-based Taipei Liaison Office to the City of Johannesburg.

The diplomatic row has now drawn in United States (US) lawmakers who have also hit out at South Africa.

Last week, IOL reported that the Department of International Relations (Dirco) communicated to Taiwan to relocate the liaison office from Pretoria as South Africa does not recognise Taiwan as a bona fide state, but an inalienable part of the People’s Republic of China.

“We hope that both sides can communicate and leave room for change, but we have also planned a worst-case scenario,” Taiwan's foreign affairs minister Lin Chia-lung said in a clip shared online by TaiwanPlus News.

Speaking to his country’s lawmakers, Lin insisted that the office will not be moved from Pretoria.

He argued that South Africa is legally bound to follow a 1997 agreement, and he added that the Taiwanese ministry of foreign affairs has made its stance clear to the authorities in Pretoria.

IOL reported last month that president Cyril Ramaphosa, during his two-pronged visit to the Republic of China reiterated that the Government of National Unity (GNU) formed after the 29 May general elections in South Africa does not 'dilute' Pretoria’s stance on the One-China Policy.

Ramaphosa said he has assured Chinese president Xi Jinping that Pretoria will continue to adhere to its long-held position which asserts that there is only one sovereign state under the name China, with the People’s Republic of China serving as the sole legitimate government, “and Taiwan and other regions as inalienable territories of China”.



'Mischaracterisation'

On Friday, Dirco issued a statement bemoaning the “mischaracterisation” of its engagements with the Taipei Liaison Office based in Hatfield, Pretoria.

“South Africa’s democratic government severed political and diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 1997. This is consistent with resolution 2758 of the United Nations General Assembly, which is widely adhered to by the international community,” Dirco spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said last week.

“Relocating what will be rebranded as trade offices both in Taipei and in Johannesburg, which is standard diplomatic practice, will be a true reflection of the non-political and non-diplomatic nature of the relationship between the Republic of South Africa and Taiwan.”

Phiri said the trade office of Taiwan will be “appropriately” placed in Johannesburg, which is South Africa’s economic hub.

“This also aligns with standard diplomatic practice that capital cities are the seats of foreign embassies and high commissions,” he said.

The South African government has also indicated that there has been some level of interference by certain unnamed “third-party countries”, as Pretoria insists on moving the Taiwan offices to Johannesburg.

“Several engagements have been held with the Taipei Liaison Office to correct this anomaly despite approaches by third-party countries, which is itself an unusual diplomatic practice,” said Phiri.

He said the Taipei Liaison Office was given a “reasonable” six months to make the move out of Pretoria.

“The same was communicated via the South African Liaison Office in Taipei by South Africa’s representative to the territory."