South Africa to discuss ties in wake of office relocation order: MOFA

Taipei, Oct. 29 (CNA) South Africa has decided to hold discussions with Taiwan on bilateral relations after Taiwan declined to comply with a request that it move its representative office in Pretoria outside the city by Oct. 30, a Taiwan government spokesman said Tuesday.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) said that after Taiwan had repeatedly made clear it would not relocate its de facto embassy as "unilaterally demanded" by South Africa, South Africa said it was willing to engage in talks on "bilateral relations going forward" with Taiwan via existing channels.

Liu would not say, however, if that meant South Africa would walk back from the Oct. 30 deadline, which it previously said was "non-negotiable."

The spokesman would only say that both sides will exchange views on the issue and will make public more details if progress has been made.

He also called on South Africa, as a G20 country, not to use "coercive methods" against the Taipei office in Pretoria and/or other means that would "obstruct the office's operations in providing services to overseas Taiwanese" until a consensus has been reached on the issue.

Liu was responding to media inquiries on the situation as the Oct. 30 deadline approached.

MOFA confirmed earlier this month that the South African government called on Taiwan to relocate its representative office in its administrative capital, Pretoria, allegedly due to pressure from China, by the deadline of Oct. 30.

Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said last week at the Legislative Yuan that the country will not abide by the request, citing a 1997 agreement between the two countries signed before the end of official diplomatic relations in January 1998.

The agreement stipulates that Taiwan would continue to operate a liaison office in Pretoria despite the end of official diplomatic ties. South Africa is also allowed to have a presence in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, according to Lin.

At present, the Liaison Office of South Africa in Taipei serves as the African country's de facto embassy in Taiwan.

In a statement on Oct. 18, South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) said the severing of diplomatic ties with Taiwan was "consistent with resolution 2758 of the United Nations General Assembly, which is widely adhered to by the international community."

Adopted in 1971, Resolution 2758 resulted in Taiwan, officially named the Republic of China (ROC), losing its seat at the U.N. to the People's Republic of China (PRC), but it did not mention Taiwan or the Republic of China by name.

Taiwan has since been excluded from joining the U.N. and participating in its affiliated organizations.

"Relocating what will be rebranded as Trade Offices both in Taipei and in Johannesburg, which is standard diplomatic practice, will be a true reflection of the non-political and non-diplomatic nature of the relationship between the Republic of South Africa and Taiwan," DIRCO said in the statement.

It also noted it had provided "a reasonable six months to make the move."

In an interview with a local news agency on Oct. 23, DIRCO spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said that given the lack of official diplomatic ties, it was only natural to ask the Taipei office to move from the administrative capital where other embassies are located.

"What we have now done is to say that the true nature of our relations with Taiwan are trade in nature," Phiri said.

That means "you cannot have a liaison office in the capital city that is the preserve of political and diplomatic relations," he said. "In other words, these are where you recognize that country."

He also denied China was behind the decision.