The South African government has reiterated its request for Taiwan to move its representative office out of Pretoria by the end of March, according to Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry. This comes after South Africa sent a letter to Taiwan’s representative office last month, demanding the relocation.
The statement from Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry emphasized that South Africa had attempted to “downgrade” Taiwan’s office, seeking to rename it as a trade office. Previously, South Africa had set a deadline of October 2024 for the office to relocate, warning that failure to comply could lead to the office’s closure.
South Africa’s decision follows its strengthened ties with China, which last year upgraded their bilateral relationship to an “all-round strategic cooperative partnership.” Beijing supported South Africa’s move to expel Taiwan’s office, calling it a “correct decision.”
The diplomatic tensions also led to sanctions from China against Ivan Meyer, leader of South Africa’s Democratic Alliance party, for visiting Taiwan. These sanctions include travel bans for Meyer and his family to mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau, as well as restrictions on business dealings with Chinese entities. Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its territory and demands that its diplomatic allies refrain from official engagement with Taipei.