Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

MOFA strongly protests South African government’s announcement unilaterally renaming and downgrading status of Taiwan’s liaison offices

Date：2025-07-22
Data Source：Department of West Asian and African Affairs

July 22, 2025  
No. 253  

Without consulting Taiwan, South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) issued a notice in the Government Gazette on July 21 indicating that, from April 1, Taiwan’s liaison offices in South Africa had been renamed the Taipei Commercial Office in Johannesburg and the Taipei Commercial Office in Cape Town. The notice even erroneously cited United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 and South Africa’s “one China policy.” The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) strongly protests this announcement.
 
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung promptly instructed MOFA’s Department of West Asian and African Affairs and the Taipei Liaison Office in the Republic of South Africa (TLO) to lodge solemn protests with the Liaison Office of South Africa in Taipei and DIRCO, respectively. He also directed the TLO to continue to negotiate with DIRCO on the principles of parity and dignity.
 
South African Deputy President Paul Mashatile led a delegation to China from July 14 to 18. Following his visit, the South African government published its unreasonable announcement in the Government Gazette. This demonstrates that China has ramped up suppression of Taiwan in South Africa and that South Africa is willing to bow to China and exert pressure on Taiwan. MOFA expresses regret and dissatisfaction over these developments.
 
MOFA reiterates that the position of the Taiwan government remains unchanged and that it will not accept the South African government’s unilateral violation of its 1997 agreement with Taiwan. The Taiwan government will continue to communicate with the South African government on the principles of parity and dignity. And in the face of South Africa’s repeated unilateral changes to the names and status of Taiwan’s liaison offices, Taiwan will take appropriate action in accordance with the circumstances.
 
MOFA solemnly calls on South Africa, as the host country of this year’s Group of 20 summit, to abide by the 1997 legal framework concerning bilateral relations and not employ coercive tactics against Taiwan’s liaison offices or take any other actions that might interfere with their operations or services before both sides have reached a consensus through consultations. (E)

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

July 15, 2025  No. 245
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung met with President Santiago Peña on July 14 while leading a delegation to the Republic of Paraguay. During their meeting, Minister Lin delivered greetings and best wishes from President Lai Ching-te and conveyed sincere friendship to the government and people of Paraguay on behalf of the government and people of Taiwan.
 
Welcoming Minister Lin’s delegation, President Peña communicated his highest regards to President Lai and reaffirmed the rock-solid diplomatic relations between Taiwan and Paraguay. Acknowledging the fraternal bond between the two countries, the president said that many years of cooperation had yielded diverse and fruitful results in a host of areas. He said that looking ahead, Paraguay would remain undaunted by foreign pressure and threats and continue to work hand in hand with Taiwan so as to move forward together.
 
In his remarks, Minister Lin thanked President Peña for mentioning Taiwan first among Paraguay’s diplomatic allies during his inauguration speech in August 2023, which he said reflected the significance of Taiwan-Paraguay ties. He said that his visit to Paraguay was being undertaken to celebrate the 68th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations and to lead a delegation of representatives from the semiconductor, ICT, technology, construction, smart agriculture, high-performance textile, green energy, furniture, and food processing industries—sectors with high potential for collaboration with their Paraguayan counterparts. He noted that a number of representatives had already decided to invest in factories in the Taiwan-Paraguay Smart Technology Park so as to develop business opportunities and create win-win outcomes. 
 
Minister Lin also pointed out that Taiwan’s active promotion of the Diplomatic Allies Prosperity Project in Paraguay included such flagship initiatives as the Taiwan-Paraguay Polytechnic University, the Taiwan-Paraguay Smart Technology Park, an electric bus pilot program, and the development of a health information system (HIS) through the Health Information Management Efficiency Enhancement Project, as well as the planning and implementation of sovereign AI, 5G clean network, and HIS 2.0 programs. He said that these initiatives aimed to help Paraguay develop the technology sector and implement digital transformation, and exemplified the results of bilateral cooperation guided by the mindset that “Taiwan can help, Paraguay can lead.”
 
President Peña and Minister Lin also attended the Paraguay-Taiwan Investment Opportunities Forum together. Speaking at the event, President Peña underlined the long-standing and solid diplomatic relations between Taiwan and Paraguay. He stated that Paraguay’s firm support for Taiwan over the past 68 years had been based on such shared values as freedom, democracy, and people’s right to self-determination, adding that this would not change for any economic interests or pressure. He said that helping Taiwan maintain its international presence was an important extension of Paraguay’s own legacy and sense of national dignity.
 
President Peña went on to say that Paraguay’s economy was advancing steadily and that his country boasted an exceptional investment environment. He said he hoped that Taiwanese businesses would gain an in-depth understanding of Paraguay’s development potential and seize investment opportunities.
 
Taiwan and Paraguay enjoy cordial and strong diplomatic relations. The two countries will continue to deepen their collaboration in education, technology, energy, agriculture, public health, infrastructure, and other fields so as to jointly expand progress and mutual prosperity. (E)