Taiwan rejects South Africa's demand to relocate representative office again
- In Reports
- 01:55 PM, Oct 22, 2024
- Myind Staff
Taiwan has once again turned down South Africa's request to relocate its representative office from the capital, Pretoria, to Johannesburg, which is the country's commercial hub.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Jeff Liu, spokesman for the Taiwan Foreign Ministry, stated that the demand to relocate or close down the office completely went against a 1997 agreement between the parties about the placement of their mutual representative offices after formal diplomatic relations were severed.
Liu said that our side is unable to accept such an unreasonable demand. The two countries have a close business relationship. South Africa keeps a liaison office in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan. Liu reiterated Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung's declaration to the legislature on Monday that Taiwan was ready for any situation involving the matter. According to Lin and Liu, the office is Taiwanese property, and Taipei has the authority to decide where it is located and what status it has.
Taiwan's international representation is actively being worked down by China, which views Taiwan as its own territory that it must, if necessary, take by force. In spite of this, the self-governing island republic has strong unofficial links with the US and other major countries. Last week, South Africa confirmed that it requested Taiwan to relocate its liaison office. This move is seen as a gesture towards China, which has been influential in keeping Taiwan out of the United Nations and related organizations like the World Health Organization. As a result, Taiwan has only 11 formal diplomatic partners, including the Vatican.
China has increased its military threats against Taiwan in addition to applying diplomatic and economic pressure. Most recently, it conducted extensive live-fire exercises near the Chinese coastal province of Fujian, which borders Taiwan. South Africa has asked Taiwan to relocate its office, which has caught the attention of the US Congress. Tennessee Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn expressed on the social platform X that the United States should not accept this kind of behaviour from South Africa.
“I am calling on ... the Biden administration to make it clear that there will be consequences if South Africa works with the (Chinese Communist Party) to bully Taiwan, including removing South Africa from a key trade program,” Blackburn said.
“The United States must not provide trade benefits to countries that prioritise China's influence over democratic partnerships,” she added.
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