Taiwan Says South Africa Ready for Talks on Taipei office in Pretoria

(MENAFN) Taiwan has put on hold a planned restriction on semiconductor exports to South Africa, following Pretoria’s indication it is willing to enter talks regarding the status of Taipei’s representative presence in the country, the Taiwanese government announced Thursday.

According to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, its envoy in Pretoria received a formal message inviting dialogue on the future of the Taipei Liaison Office, prompting Taipei to temporarily suspend impending trade measures. The ministry stated that the move shows “goodwill” in response to South Africa’s outreach.

Earlier this week, Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs revealed it would require prior government approval for the export of 47 categories of high-tech products — including integrated circuits, memory chips, and processors — to South Africa, starting late November.

The announcement was widely interpreted as a retaliatory measure after Pretoria’s recent pressure to downgrade and relocate Taipei’s mission.

South Africa has insisted Taiwan move its liaison office out of Pretoria and reduce its operations to trade-only functions. Citing its adherence to the “one-China” policy and UN General Assembly Resolution 2758, Pretoria has argued that maintaining diplomatic-style relations with Taipei violates its international commitments.

The Taipei Liaison Office was established in 1997 under a bilateral understanding. South Africa had initially ordered its relocation by October 2024, later pushing the deadline to March this year. Authorities warned that failure to comply could result in the office’s closure.

Since then, South Africa has taken further steps to diminish Taiwan’s official status. In March, its Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) changed the name of the liaison office to the “Taipei Commercial Office” on official platforms. By July, DIRCO had begun referring to both the Pretoria and Cape Town branches as “international organizations,” rather than diplomatic entities, and announced additional downgrades.

China, which considers Taiwan a breakaway province, voiced support for South Africa’s actions. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Wednesday that Pretoria was “resolutely moving forward the relocation of Taiwan’s institution.”

Taiwan, governed independently since 1949, has consistently rejected China’s sovereignty claims and maintains it is a sovereign state.

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