On Friday, the South African government announced that it had requested Taiwan to move its de facto embassy from the capital, Pretoria. In response, Taiwan accused South Africa of yielding to pressure from China.
South Africa dismissed this claim, asserting that the relocation is a routine diplomatic procedure, considering that it ended official political and diplomatic relations with Taiwan back in 1997.
The Taipei Liaison Office will be renamed as a Trade Office and shifted to Johannesburg, the commercial center, according to South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation.
"Relocating what will be rebranded as Trade Offices both in Taipei and in Johannesburg [...] will be a true reflection of the non-political and non-diplomatic nature of the relationship between the Republic of South Africa and Taiwan," stated the department, which also set a six-month deadline for the move.
Taiwan's Foreign Ministry expressed concerns about the growing ties between South Africa and China, considering it a challenge to its relationship with South Africa, media said.
"If the South African government still insists on submitting to China and changing the status quo [...] the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will [...] study and formulate all possible responses in order to safeguard the sovereignty and dignity of our country," it reportedly said in a statement.
China welcomed the South Africa's decision.
"We appreciate South Africa's right decision to [relocate the Taipei Liaison Office]," commented China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning.