• By Lery Hiciano / Editor, with CNA

The Taiwan Association of Southern Africa (TASA) has written a letter to South Africa’s presidential office and parliament urging the government to withdraw its demand that Taiwan relocate its liaison office out of the capital.

Last Friday, the South African government publicly declared that Taiwan’s representative office was to move out of Pretoria, a decision the Foreign Ministry said was due to pressure from China. South Africa reportedly first asked the office to leave Pretoria last year before formally asking it in April this year to do so by the end of the month.

Yesterday, TASA and the Taiwan African Chambers of Commerce wrote an open letter urging the government to reconsider its request.

There are currently around 7,000 to 8,000 Taiwanese citizens living in South Africa, including those who moved there decades ago, locally born individuals, as well as businessmen who are there temporarily, Lee Chung -wei (李崇維), Pretoria city councilor, said.

Lee sent the open letters on behalf of the organizations to the government, as well as local media, in the hope that the two countries can maintain long-standing friendly relations, as well as uphold the values ​​of democracy and freedom, a- he declared.

The letters highlighted the positive effects of bilateral trade and humanitarian assistance and appealed to the recent history of the two countries to overcome historical difficulties.

“Given South Africa’s experience with apartheid, it should demonstrate empathy towards the values ​​of freedom of speech, belief, movement, opinion and expression,” says the TASA letter.

The letter also highlights South Africa’s $700 million trade surplus with Taiwan, which supplies key components to its growing auto manufacturing sector, as well as the liaison office’s work in coordinating efforts relief for “most vulnerable” South Africans.

These relief efforts include the donation of 500 tons of rice in 2024 alone, as well as hundreds of wheelchairs and millions of dollars for other relief like blankets, hygiene products and groceries. , specifies the letter.

The letter ends by calling the relocation request “extreme harm” against the Taiwanese community.

Along the same lines, the US State Department said it encourages all countries to deepen their engagement with Taiwan.

Although the South African government has denied being pressured by China, a number of US lawmakers have publicly linked the decision to Beijing, including Senators Marsha Blackburn and Tom Cotton, as well as Representatives Carlos Gimenez, Michelle Steel and Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael. McCaul.

In a statement, a U.S. State Department spokesperson suggested that while the United States does not have its own commentary on the matter, Taiwan’s international partnerships bring substantial and lasting benefits to other nations.

The deadline for the office to leave Pretoria is next Thursday, although it remains unclear whether South Africa will withdraw its request or what countermeasures Taiwan’s foreign ministry will implement.