South Africans in Taiwan caught in diplomatic crossfire

By evicting the Taiwanese representative’s office from Pretoria, South Africa may have opened a can of worms – the United States could enter the fray after a Republican senator called on secretary of state Anton Blinken to act.

The situation is getting worse as South Africans living and working in Taiwan are beginning to feel the impact of the Taiwan-South Africa fallout.

Some banks in Taiwan have begun barring South African expatriates from doing transactions as an apparent retaliation for the government’s action.

Taiwan retaliation for government’s action

An expat, Hein van der Merwe tweeted on the expatriates’ group: “I have used the Bank of Taiwan online banking to transfer money to South Africa for years, now they say I can’t.”

US Republican senator Marsha Blackburn yesterday requested the Biden administration not to tolerate the South African move.

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She asked that South Africa be removed from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa), a legislative mechanism designed to assist sub-Saharan Africa economies via extension of trade concessions by the US.

Yesterday, Blackburn, from Tennessee, tweeted: “South Africa is working with Communist China in an attempt to force Taiwan to move its diplomatic office out of the South African capital.

“The United States should not tolerate this behaviour from South Africa. I am calling on @SecBlinken and the Biden administration to make it clear that there will be consequences if South Africa works with the CCP to bully Taiwan, including removal of South Africa from the Agoa trade programme. The United States must not provide trade benefits to countries that prioritise China’s influence over democratic partnerships.”

‘US should not tolerate this behavior’ – US senator

Taiwan’s foreign minister Dr Lin Chialung also vowed the office was going nowhere.

He said the South African government should honour the agreement it entered with Taiwan to operate the Taipei liaison office in Pretoria.

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Lin told the government they would not be able to meet the end-October deadline to relocate from the Pretoria capital as requested by the department of international relations and cooperation (Dirco).

Since the government gave an ultimatum on 7 October for the Taiwan office to move out of Pretoria, [there has been] tension between Taipei and Pretoria.

China regards Taiwan as part of its territory and had put pressure on countries to break ties with Taiwan.

China pressure to break ties

Lin accused the government of unilaterally violating an agreement it signed with Taipei in 1997 to allow Taiwan to operate a liaison office in Pretoria following its decision to establish diplomatic relations with mainland China.

Under the agreement, which Taipei believed was binding, Taiwan would continue operating the office despite severing official diplomatic relations.

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Lin was quoted in the Focus Taiwan publication warning that South Africa was legally bound by the agreement.

The minister said Taipei had, if they were forcefully evicted, prepared contingency plans, including retaliatory action.

The South African office in Taiwan also had to relocate out of Taipei. Taiwan also indicated some form of retaliatory action might be taken with regards to the estimated 5 000 South African teachers working in the island.

SA office relocated out of Taipei

Dirco suggested the office should move to Johannesburg, saying Pretoria was for embassies.

The department said the relocation was “consistent with resolution 2758 of the UN General Assembly, which is widely adhered to by the international community”.

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