Taiwan is refusing to move its representative office in South Africa from the administrative capital Pretoria to Johannesburg, threatening reciprocal action if it's forced to do so. South Africa meanwhile says there's no room for negotiation. Taiwan's foreign minister has said the situation is part of China's ongoing campaign to further isolate Taiwan in the international community.
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00:00Taiwan's foreign ministry is standing its ground in the face of demands from South Africa
00:05to relocate its representative office from administrative capital Pretoria to Johannesburg.
00:12Taiwan is saying it has no plans to move that office, which operates as a de facto embassy,
00:18even threatening reciprocal action if South Africa follows through with its threats.
00:24Taiwan is asking South Africa not to break a contract it made in 1997, which stated the
00:30liaison office would continue to operate in Pretoria even after South Africa switched
00:35official diplomatic recognition from the Republic of China-Taiwan to China.
00:41And they're asking to at least bring Taiwan to the negotiating table.
00:45But South Africa is saying there's no room for negotiation and that the office must move
00:50out by the end of October or else it will be closed.
00:54And where's all this coming from?
00:55And why does moving cities even matter?
00:58Relocating Taiwan's representative office away from South Africa's capital is being
01:03seen as a power move by China.
01:07Taiwan's foreign ministry is saying that this is part of China's ongoing campaign
01:11to isolate Taiwan from the international community, not only by pressuring Taiwan's few remaining
01:17diplomatic allies, but also by pressuring countries like South Africa, who already cut
01:23official diplomatic ties, to further distance themselves from Taiwan.