US and French lawmakers yesterday criticized South Africa’s demand that Taiwan move its representative office out of Pretoria, saying that it has jeopardized South Africa’s relationship with Western democracies.
On Oct. 7 last year, South Africa requested that the office move by the end of that month, a demand renewed late last month following months of negotiations.
US Senator Ted Cruz on Tuesday wrote on social media that South Africa was “going out of its way to alienate the US and our allies.”
Photo: CNA
“Their timeline to expel our Taiwanese allies from Pretoria is deeply troubling, undermines the national security interests of the US and our allies, and will deepen tensions between the US and South Africa,” Cruz said.
The senator said he would use his position as chairman of the Africa subcommittee on the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee to investigate Pretoria’s “concerning” decisions.
Cruz’s comments came a day after US Senator Marsha Blackburn voiced support for Taiwan over the matter on social media.
“The United States must stand with Taiwan and stand up to South Africa,” she wrote, adding that South Africa could be removed from the US’ African Growth and Opportunity Act should it “bully Taiwan” in collaboration with China.
Separately, several French lawmakers backed Taiwan on the matter at an event hosted in Paris by the Taipei Representative Office in France.
French Senator Alain Richard, a former minister of the armed forces, said that South Africa’s “willing diplomatic compliance” was another instance of the many actions its government has taken against the alliance of democracies.
South Africa’s request is not representative of a larger trend among Taiwan’s diplomatic allies to abandon Taipei, but Beijing’s ideological and economic infiltration of Pretoria, he said.
The move would not impede Taiwan’s bid for international participation, which continues to gather momentum as the world comes to see the nation’s inherent merit, he said.
“Is South Africa still a sovereign nation? If the answer is ‘yes,’ it should say that its internal affairs are not for others to interfere with,” said French Senator Olivier Cadic, who is also the vice president of the French Senate Foreign Affairs, Defense and Armed Forces Committee.
French National Assembly Deputy Marie-Noelle Battistel, president of the French National Assembly Taiwan-France Friendship Group, said South Africa breached its agreement with Taiwan in demanding the nation move its representative office.
French National Assembly Deputy Nicolas Metzdorf said South Africa’s demand was “a terrible decision” and that Chinese interference has played a significant role in Pretoria’s authoritarian shift.
“The growing influence of BRICS [Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa] is incompatible with the democratic values of France,” he said, adding that Taiwan has the right to be recognized like every nation.
“We must respect the wish of Taiwanese for their independence to be recognized whether other nations are willing or not,” he said.
A fugitive in a suspected cosmetic surgery fraud case today returned to Taiwan from Canada, after being wanted for six years. Internet celebrity Su Chen-tuan (蘇陳端), known as Lady Nai Nai (貴婦奈奈), and her former boyfriend, plastic surgeon Paul Huang (黃博健), allegedly defrauded clients and friends of about NT$1 billion (US$30.66 million). Su was put on a wanted list in 2019 when she lived in Toronto, Canada, after failing to respond to subpoenas and arrest warrants from the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. Su arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 5am today on an EVA Air flight accompanied by a
COVID-19 infections have climbed for three consecutive weeks and are likely to reach another peak between next month and June, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. Weekly hospital visits for the disease increased by 19 percent from the previous week, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said. From Tuesday last week to yesterday, 21 cases of severe COVID-19 and seven deaths were confirmed, and from Sept. 1 last year to yesterday, there were 600 cases and 129 deaths, he said. From Oct. 1 last year to yesterday, 95.9 percent of the severe cases and 96.7 percent of the deaths
Restarting the No. 2 reactor at the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant would take up to 18 months, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) said today. Kuo was answering questions during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Economics Committee, where legislators are considering amendments to the Renewable Energy Development Act (再生能源發展條) amid concerns about the consequences of the Pingtung County reactor’s decommissioning scheduled for May 17. Its decommissioning is to mark the end of Taiwan’s nuclear power production. However, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers have proposed an amendment to the Nuclear Reactor Facilities Regulation Act (核子反應器設施管制法) that would extend the life of existing
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday demanded that Somalia reverse its decision prohibiting Taiwanese passport holders from entering or transiting through the country. Somalia said it is following the “one China” principle based on UN Resolution 2758. The ministry said that Somalia is misinterpreting the resolution under China’s instigation, creating a false impression that Taiwan is subordinate to China. The Somali Civil Aviation Authority told airlines on Tuesday last week that starting today, any passengers with passports or travel documents issued from Taiwan or its affiliated institutions would not be allowed to enter or transit through Somalia. The decision comes as Taiwan is boosting