The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it has lodged a protest with Pretoria after the name of the Taipei Liaison Office in South Africa was changed to the “Taipei Commercial Office” on the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation’s (DIRCO) Web site.
In October last year, the South African government asked Taiwan to relocate the Taipei Liaison Office, the nation’s de facto embassy, out of Pretoria. It later agreed to continue negotiating through official channels, but in January asked that the office be relocated by the end of this month.
As of the middle of last month, DIRCO’s Web site listed the office as the Taipei Liaison Office in South Africa, under the category “other representative offices.” However, this month, the name was changed to the Taipei Commercial Office and listed under “international organizations represented in South Africa.”
Photo: Reuters
DIRCO’s site also shows out of date information for the office, identifying Anthony Ho (賀忠義) as representative. Oliver Liao (廖文哲) is the current representative to South Africa.
The Taipei Liaison Office in South Africa’s name remains unchanged on its official Web site.
After DIRCO’s request in January to move the office before the end of this month, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) called an emergency response meeting, and instructed the office to continue communicating with DIRCO based on the principles of reciprocity and respect, the ministry said.
The two sides have been exchanging ideas on a possible revision of the legal framework for bilateral relations, and the office urged DIRCO to discuss the official negotiation location, time, delegation and agreement signing, it said.
However, DIRCO again breached the agreement made between Taiwan and South Africa in 1997, the ministry said.
Lin has instructed the Department of West Asian and African Affairs and the Taipei Liaison Office in South Africa to lodge a formal protest to the Liaison Office of South Africa in Taiwan and DIRCO, it said.
DIRCO citing UN Resolution 2758 and the “one China” policy as justification for forcing the Taipei Liaison Office in South Africa to relocate is unreasonable, unjustifiable and unacceptable, it said.
The South African government’s compliance with Beijing’s efforts to suppress Taiwan contravenes the spirit of democracy and freedom that it advocates, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, adding that it demands that the South African government respect the 1997 agreement.
The ministry also urged the South African government to discuss the details of the issue with Taiwan, and refrain from doing anything that breaches the agreement before the two sides reach a consensus.
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