Taiwan Faces Diplomatic Setback as South Africa Relocates De Facto Embassy Under Chinese Pressure

Taiwan is facing a significant diplomatic setback as South Africa has ordered the relocation of Taiwan’s de facto embassy from Pretoria, the administrative capital, to Johannesburg, Bloomberg reports.

The ultimatum, delivered to Taiwan on October 7, demands the relocation to be completed by the end of the month. South Africa’s decision stems from a request made in December 2023 following a BRICS summit hosted in the country, an event attended by Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Beijing views BRICS as a platform to challenge US dominance in international affairs, offering developing nations access to Chinese financing and infrastructure projects.

A Taiwanese Foreign Ministry official, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, revealed that Chinese Ambassador Wu Peng and his predecessor, Chen Xiaodong, actively lobbied South Africa to relocate the de facto embassy.

In response, Taiwan is considering retaliatory measures, including relocating its own representative office out of Taipei, tightening visa procedures for South Africans, and reducing the number of English teachers from the nation.

This incident echoes a similar scenario in 2018 when Taiwan forced Nigeria to relocate its representative office outside of Taipei after Nigeria moved its de facto embassy to Lagos from Abuja.

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te is currently on a European tour, visiting the Czech Republic, France, and Belgium, including a stop at the European Parliament. He is also reportedly planning a visit to the US.

Despite these efforts, China remains deeply suspicious of Lai and his Democratic Progressive Party, accusing them of pursuing formal Taiwanese independence. This week, Beijing launched intensive military drills around Taiwan, citing “separatism” as justification. China has indicated that these maneuvers will resume whenever it perceives “provocation.”