TAIPEI– Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung has accused the South African government of bowing to pressure from China in a move that alters the diplomatic standing of Taipei’s presence in the country.
During a media briefing in Taipei on Friday, Lin said South Africa has taken a series of actions since last year aimed at reducing Taiwan’s status through administrative changes, which he attributed to Beijing’s influence.
South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) recently changed the designation of Taiwan’s representative office on its official website from “foreign representation in South Africa” to “international organization.” The listed location was also moved from Pretoria to Johannesburg, and the official email domain was altered from Taiwan’s government domain (@mofa.gov.tw) to a commercial South African provider (@telkomsa.net).
Earlier in March, DIRCO had already renamed the office from the “Taipei Liaison Office” to the “Taipei Commercial Office.”
Lin said Taiwan rejects the changes and will not recognise them. He noted that the Taipei office continues to operate as normal in Pretoria despite South Africa’s extended deadline for the relocation, now set for the end of March 2025.
According to Lin, Taiwan still seeks to engage with the South African government through bilateral consultations, despite what he described as “little tricks” used to gradually downgrade its diplomatic presence.
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