South Africa Totally Correct to ‘Relocate Taiwan’ out of Pretoria

By Abbey Makoe

The brouhaha around the forced relocation of the Taipei Liaison Office from SA’s capital Pretoria to Johannesburg – approximately 50 km southward – is completely misplaced.

In 1997, SA cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan when the Nelson Mandela administration embraced UN Resolution 2758, which is about the One-China Principle that recognizes Taiwan as an inalienable and integral part of China.

In a widely-circulated media statement, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) revealed that the Taiwan authorities were given a six-month notice to move out of SA’s capital, which is home to the largest number of diplomatic missions in the world, second only to Washington.

DIRCO’s statement read in part: “Relocating what will be rebranded as Trade Offices both in Taipei and 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.”

In addition, DIRCO explained: “This also aligns with standard diplomatic practice that capital cities are the seats of Foreign Embassies and High Commissions.”

Mandela set the tone, and would surely approve of DIRCO’s move. In his wisdom, Mandela had opted to embrace the universally accepted UN Resolution 2758. DIRCO explained the decision to boot Taiwan out of the capital city thus: “This is consistent with Resolution 2758 of the United Nations General Assembly, which is widely adhered to by the international community.”

On the balance of all factors, to be honest - therefore, Taiwan had overstayed their stay in Pretoria. Taipei’s privilege ended when Mandela’s government ceased to recognize Taiwan’s mission as neither a high commission nor embassy back in 1997.

The hullabaloo that has followed DIRCO’s decision is unjustified, unfair and ill-advised. That some third-party country had attempted to dissuade Pretoria from ejecting Taiwan out of the capital is a disgrace, to say the least. It seeks to undermine SA’s sovereignty.

For nearly three decades, Taiwan has lived on a diplomatic privilege on a pure technicality.

South Africa’s foreign policy is premised on the notion and ethos of national interest. Over the past 14 consecutive years, China has been SA’s biggest trading partner. SA was also the first country in the continent to benefit from China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

The people-to-people diplomatic relations between Pretoria and Beijing, coupled with cooperation in various sectors such as military, commerce, health and agriculture, among others, has cemented bilateral ties between the two allies that are a shining light in BRICS as well.

China, the world’s second largest economy, has become a magnet for the entire international community, particularly in the area of manufacturing, import and export of goods and services.

There is, however, a clear caveat in China’s cooperation with all nations. The recognition of the One-China Principle is a non-negotiable prerequisite.

In return, the geopolitical and economic spin-offs have been huge for China’s allies, especially South Africa. China is one of the only five permanent members of the UN Security Council with a veto power.

In addition, China has become a beacon of hope for the entire Global South, and developing economies the world over. China has breathed life into the aspiration of the developing world as a collective, showing that with a clearly mapped out trajectory to economic growth and development, nations can push back the frontiers of hardships, poverty and unemployment.

Over the last two decades alone, China has managed to take a whopping 850 million-plus people out of poverty, making the 1.4 billion-nation an envy of the global community.

This has triggered the UN to heap praises on Beijing’s model of development. Today, it is a template that many nations are following. The success of China’s foreign policy is premised on non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries. There is also a major emphasis on “win-win cooperation” and ideals for a “shared future”.

South Africa is the continent’s biggest economy and a major player in international affairs. Cooperation with China is a key to SA’s role in geopolitics. To recognize Taiwan for what Taiwan is – “an inalienable part of China” – is an obvious expression of wisdom and diplomatic foresight.

South Africa has taken the country’s leadership role in the continent seriously. For instance, at the recent Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit that was held in Beijing, President Cyril Ramaphosa emphasized the importance of international adherence to the One-China Principle. South Africa has done very well by sorting out the outstanding mess that is Taiwan’s lingering abnormal status.

Unlike some of China’s geopolitical adversaries, particularly in the West, SA has no interest in using Taiwan as a source of friction between Pretoria and Beijing, or Beijing and the world.

From now on, the downgraded or “rebranded” Taipei Trade Office will operate from SA’s economic hub of Johannesburg, just like other trade missions.

The erroneously extended operations of Taiwan in a capital city reserved only for high commissions and embassies have finally been corrected, and SA` deserves great praise for that. It has truly been an anomaly. Now, as China work tirelessly toward reunification with the self-governing territory of Taiwan, SA will surely continue to play a meaningful role that seeks to remind the international community that Taiwan is not a country, but a territory of China as defined by the UN Resolution 2758.

As Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, said last week: “The One-China Principle is the political foundation for China to establish and grow diplomatic relations with other countries in the world. It is also a universally recognized norm in international relations and where global opinion trends and the arc of history bends.”

Mao added: “We commend South Africa’s right decision to move the Taipei Liaison Office in South Africa outside the administrative capital Pretoria.”

In the final analysis, nefarious foreign attempts to shore up separatists in Taiwan to pursue “independence” are doomed to fail. No one can slice up China and remove Taiwan from the rest of the Chinese body politic, geography and make-up.

* Abbey Makoe is Founder and Editor-in-Chief: Global South Media Network

** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.