South African government has given an instruction for the Taipei Liaison Office in Hatfield, east of Pretoria, to be relocated to Johannesburg.
TWO US senators have heavily criticised South Africa's directive for Taiwan to relocate its Pretoria-based Taipei Liaison Office to the City of Johannesburg.
The ongoing diplomatic squabble sparked by South Africa’s directive for Taiwan to relocate its offices to Johannesburg has sucked in US lawmakers, amid an ongoing diplomatic row over what US President Donald Trump called “confiscation” of land.
Last year it was reported that the Department of International Relations (Dirco) had communicated with Taiwan to relocate the liaison office from Pretoria as South Africa does not recognise Taiwan as a bona fide State, but an inalienable part of the People’s Republic of China.
The directive for Taiwan to move from Pretoria has once again been thrust into the limelight, as the deadline given by Dirco to Taiwan approaches next month.
South Africa's International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola.
Republican Senator Ted Cruz has criticised the directive, writing on social media platform X that South Africa is "going out of its way to alienate the United States and our allies".
Cruz wrote on X: “The South African government seems to be going out of their way to alienate the United States and our allies. Their timeline to expel our Taiwanese allies from Pretoria is deeply troubling, undermines the national security interests of America and our allies, and will deepen tensions between the US and South Africa.
“I intend to use my position as the chairman of the Africa subcommittee on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to investigate these and other concerning decisions by South Africa,” he added.
On Tuesday, Tennessee Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn revived her calls for the US to intervene and “stand up to South Africa”.
Blackburn wrote on X: “The United States must stand with Taiwan and stand up to South Africa. As I previously stated, if South Africa works with the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) to bully Taiwan, the United States must consider serious consequences, including removal of South Africa from the AGOA trade program.
“The United States must not provide trade benefits to countries that prioritize China’s influence over democratic partnerships,” said Blackburn.
Last year it was reported that Blackburn had insisted that “the United States should not tolerate this behaviour from South Africa” and she had called on then US President Joe Biden to intervene.
At the time, another US Senator, Tom Cotton from Arkansas, had also waded into the diplomatic matter, with loud support for Taiwan.
“South Africa’s aggression towards Taiwan on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party is deeply disturbing and inappropriate. I along with all Arkansans stand firmly with Taiwan in the face of bullying from the Chinese Communists and their cronies,” Cotton wrote.
South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation has previously rubbished assertions that China has a role in Pretoria’s decision. At the time when the directive came out, Dirco spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said South Africa has an “independent” foreign policy.
“I think it is a very unfortunate mischaracterisation of the issue to claim that we are receiving pressure from another country. South Africa’s foreign policy has always been an independent one. Not only is it an unfortunate, mischaracterisation, it is frankly a historical position,” Phiri responded at the time.
“The decision to cut political and diplomatic ties with Taiwan was taken in 1997 and implemented effective of January 1, 1998. It is a factual position and is evidently out there. The decision is consistent with the United Nations resolution ... of the General Assembly.
“To suggest that like the apartheid state, we should behave in a rogue manner and completely ignore UN resolutions is deeply unfortunate and I think those who are arguing that this position is in favour of another government should really apply themselves to the relevant resolutions of the United Nations but also with the historical position that the democratic government has taken since 1997,” said Phiri.
IOL
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