South Africa’s decision to ask Taiwan to relocate and rename its representative office in Pretoria lacked transparency and was not properly reviewed, a South African lawmaker from the country’s second-largest political party said.
“There has been no full debate, no serious committee engagement and no attempt by the executive to explain itself in a transparent way,” said Janho Engelbrecht, a South African National Assembly member representing the Democratic Alliance party.
“For a decision with clear diplomatic and economic consequences, this approach is completely inadequate,” he said, adding that the governing African National Congress (ANC) party was behaving “as if foreign policy is its sole responsibility,” despite being part of a national unity government.
Photo: AFP
If the ANC believes it could continue to make major foreign policy decisions “behind closed doors,” it would weaken parliamentary oversight, Engelbrecht said.
Engelbrecht has been critical of South Africa’s approach on the issue, but also cautioned Taiwan in an interview last year against using economic sanctions, saying oversight was a better way to proceed.
He called on South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), which initially announced the country’s decision in 2024, to make a “clear, written position” on the Taiwan office issue before parliament for “proper committee scrutiny.”
Relations with the Taiwanese community “should not be sacrificed for short-term geopolitical considerations,” especially given the investment, manufacturing and job creation contributions Taiwanese businesses have made, Engelbrecht said.
It is unclear how widely Engelbrecht’s views are held in the 400-seat South African National Assembly, or even within his party, which holds 87 seats and is a key player in the governing coalition led by the ANC.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) last year said that DIRCO’s decision had been criticized by other South African political parties, including those in the coalition government, but that has not seemed to change the government’s position.
DIRCO announced the decision to categorize the Taiwan representative office as a “trade office” and move it from the political and executive capital of Pretoria to the commercial capital, Johannesburg, in October 2024.
Despite Taiwan’s accusations that the move was made due to Chinese pressure, the agency at the time said the move would be “a true reflection of the non-political and non-diplomatic nature of the relationship between the Republic of South Africa and Taiwan.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs protested the decision, citing a 1997 bilateral agreement that allowed the Taipei office to operate in Pretoria after diplomatic ties between the two countries were severed in 1998.
It also called for talks between the two sides to come up with a new agreement, but to date, no such discussions have been held.
DIRCO had asked Taiwan to move the office in 2024 and complete the move in six months, but did not announce it until the deadline was near.
The representative office in Pretoria and South Africa’s office in Taiwan are still operating normally, the ministry said.
LOUD AND PROUD Taiwan might have taken a drubbing against Australia and Japan, but you might not know it from the enthusiasm and numbers of the fans Taiwan might not be expected to win the World Baseball Classic (WBC) but their fans are making their presence felt in Tokyo, with tens of thousands decked out in the team’s blue, blowing horns and singing songs. Taiwanese fans have packed out the Tokyo Dome for all three of their games so far and even threatened to drown out home team supporters when their team played Japan on Friday. They blew trumpets, chanted for their favorite players and had their own cheerleading squad who dance on a stage during the game. The team struggled to match that exuberance on the field, with
Whether Japan would help defend Taiwan in case of a cross-strait conflict would depend on the US and the extent to which Japan would be allowed to act under the US-Japan Security Treaty, former Japanese minister of defense Satoshi Morimoto said. As China has not given up on the idea of invading Taiwan by force, to what extent Japan could support US military action would hinge on Washington’s intention and its negotiation with Tokyo, Morimoto said in an interview with the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) yesterday. There has to be sufficient mutual recognition of how Japan could provide
UPDATED TEST: The new rules aim to assess drivers’ awareness of risky behaviors and how they respond under certain circumstances, the Highway Bureau said Driver’s license applicants who fail to yield to pedestrians at intersections or to check blind spots, or omit pointing-and-calling procedures would fail the driving test, the Highway Bureau said yesterday. The change is set to be implemented at the end of the month, and is part of the bureau’s reform of the driving portion of the test, which has been criticized for failing to assess whether drivers can operate vehicles safely. Sedan drivers would be tested regarding yielding to pedestrians and turning their heads to check blind spots, while drivers of large vehicles would be tested on their familiarity with pointing-and-calling
A Taiwanese man apologized on Friday after saying in a social media post that he worked with Australia to provide scouting reports on Taiwan’s team, enabling Australia’s victory in this year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC), saying it was a joke and that he did not hold any position with foreign teams or Taiwan’s sports training center. Chen Po-hao (陳柏豪) drew the rage of many Taiwan baseball fans when he posted online on Thursday night, claiming credit for Australia’s 3-0 win over Taiwan in the opening game for Pool C, saying he worked as a physical therapist with the national team and
RSS