Taipei Liaison Office in South Africa

Taipei Liaison Office in the Republic of South Africa
駐南非共和國台北聯絡代表處
Agency overview
Formed1998
Jurisdiction South Africa (excluding provinces of Western Cape, Northern Cape and Eastern Cape)
 Mauritius
 Madagascar
 Seychelles
 Réunion
 Comoros
 Kenya
 Uganda
 Malawi
 Mozambique
 Tanzania
 Zambia
 Somalia
 Rwanda
 Burundi
 Eritrea
 Angola
 Zimbabwe
 Botswana
 Lesotho
HeadquartersHatfield, Pretoria
Agency executive
WebsiteTaipei Liaison Office in the Republic of South Africa

The Taipei Liaison Office in the Republic of South Africa (Chinese: 駐南非共和國台北聯絡代表處; pinyin: Zhù Nánfēi Gònghéguó Táiběi Liánluò Dàibiǎo Chù) represents the interests of Taiwan in South Africa in the absence of formal diplomatic relations, functioning as a de facto embassy. Its counterpart in Taiwan is the Liaison Office of the Republic of South Africa in Taipei.[2] It has two offices, one in Pretoria and the other in Cape Town.

It has responsibility for the provinces of Gauteng, Limpopo Province, North-West Province, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Free State.

History

The Office was formerly the Embassy of the Republic of China.[3] However, when South Africa recognised the People's Republic of China, its diplomatic relations with Taiwan were terminated.[4] This led to the establishment of the Office in 1998.[5]

The Office has responsibility for the interests of Taiwan in other African countries, such as Mauritius, Madagascar, Seychelles, Comoros, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, Somalia, Rwanda, Burundi, Eritrea, Angola, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Lesotho, as well as the French overseas region of Réunion.[6]

Taiwan previously had diplomatic relations with Malawi, and was represented in the country by the Embassy of the Republic of China in Lilongwe.[7] Lesotho, which established relations with Taipei in 1966, switched recognition to Beijing in 1983.[8]

Cape Town office

The Cape Town Office[9] has responsibility for the provinces of Western Cape, Northern Cape and Eastern Cape as well as Namibia.[6]

There was also previously an office in Johannesburg, formerly the Consulate-General of the Republic of China.[10][11] However, owing to financial considerations and the city's proximity to Pretoria, it was closed in 2009.[12]

A Liaison Office was also located in Durban, but has since closed.[13] Prior to the ending of diplomatic relations, this had been a Consulate General.[14]

Representatives

Dispute with South African government

In October 2024, the South African government announced plans to rebrand the Taipei Liaison Office as a trade office, along with its South African counterpart in Taipei, arguing that this was "a true reflection of the non-political and non-diplomatic nature of the relationship between the Republic of South Africa and Taiwan".[15] South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation has now categorised the Taiwan Liaison Office as a "Taipei Commercial Office" on its official website, listing it under "International organisations represented in South Africa", with its mailing address that of a now closed information office in Johannesburg instead of the present one in Pretoria.[16][17] Similarly, instead of listing its email address as one under @mofa.gov.tw, the official government domain, it lists one under @telkomsa.net, that of the South African telecom operator, Telkom.[18][19]

This prompted strong protests from Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which described the South African government's decision as "a unilateral violation of its 1997 agreement with Taiwan", and called on South Africa "to abide by the 1997 legal framework concerning bilateral relations and not employ coercive tactics against Taiwan's liaison offices or take any other actions that might interfere with their operations or services before both sides have reached a consensus through consultations."[20]

See also

References

  1. ^ Foreign Missions > Republic of South Africa, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Republic of China)
  2. ^ Liaison Office of the Republic of South Africa
  3. ^ The Republic Of China Yearbook 1996, David Robertson, Taylor & Francis, 1996, page 692
  4. ^ Taiwan loses a major ally, BBC News Online, December 30, 1997
  5. ^ About Us - Taipei Liaison Office in the RSA Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ a b Africa Area, Bureau of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Republic of China)
  7. ^ Republic of China, United Pacific International, Incorporated, 1988, page 575
  8. ^ Taiwan Cuts Ties to Lesotho, Objecting to Peking Relations, UPI, The New York Times, May 16, 1983
  9. ^ Taipei Liaison Office in Cape Town
  10. ^ The Republic Of China Yearbook 1987, United Pacific International, Incorporated, 1988, page 576
  11. ^ The Republic Of China Yearbook 2003, Kwang Hwa Publishing Company, 2002, page 557
  12. ^ Foreign ministry closes its rep office in Bangladesh, The China Post, July 1, 2009
  13. ^ Taipei alters relations with Pretoria, Taiwan Today, December 27, 1997
  14. ^ The Republic Of China Yearbook 1997, David Robertson, Taylor & Francis, 1996, page 715
  15. ^ Taipei Liaison Office relocation mischaracterised, Department of International Relations and Cooperation, 18 October 2024
  16. ^ Taiwan Guide, China News, 2008, page 171
  17. ^ SA government officially withdraws recognition of Taiwan’s office in Pretoria, Daily Maverick, 23 July 2025
  18. ^ Foreign Representation in South Africa, Department of International Relations and Cooperation, 26 August 2025
  19. ^ South Africa downgrades Taiwan status, signaling more China influence, say experts, Radio Free Asia, 20 May, 2025
  20. ^ MOFA strongly protests South African government’s announcement unilaterally renaming and downgrading status of Taiwan’s liaison offices, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 22 July, 2025
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taipei_Liaison_Office_in_South_Africa