The government has sealed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on police cooperation with South Africa, the first agreement between the two countries since they severed diplomatic ties in the mid-1990s, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
On Feb. 21, Taiwan's top representative to South Africa Du Ling (
The memorandum is the first bilateral agreement signed by Taipei and Pretoria since South Africa announced in late 1996, that it would no longer recognize the ROC, the ministry said.
"The agreement showcased the common belief in combating crimes across national borders by the police of both countries," the statement said.
"Under the framework of the MOU, both sides would endeavor to pursue further cooperation in eliminating transnational crimes. The agreement also marked a major breakthrough in upgrading substantial ties between the two countries," the statement said.
The ministry said the memorandum took more than a year of negotiations to complete.
The National Police Administration and South African police have a long track record of close cooperation in combating transnational crimes, the ministry said.
South Africa cut diplomatic ties with Taipei in 1997.
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