Pretoria denies bowing to pressure on Taiwan

The Department of International Relations on Friday dismissed suggestions that its demand that Taiwan move its offices from Pretoria to Johannesburg was made under pressure from China. The Mail & Guardian reports that government has given Taipei six months to relocate its offices from the diplomatic capital to Johannesburg. That timeframe closes at the end of this month. The request was ‘standard diplomatic practice’, said department spokesperson Chrispin Phiri. SA severed political and diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 1997. ‘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 RSA and Taiwan,’ Phiri said. He added that as the country’s economic hub, Johannesburg, was an appropriate location for Taiwan’s trade office. ‘This also aligns with standard diplomatic practice that capital cities are the seats of foreign embassies and high commissions,’ he said.

Full Mail & Guardian report