Overview

• South Africa’s foreign ministry issued a July 21 notice, backdated to March 31, renaming Taiwan’s post the Taipei Commercial Office and seeking its move from Pretoria to Johannesburg with the relocation deadline now set for March 2025.
• An official government website altered the mission’s listing by removing de facto ambassador Oliver Liao, changing the address, and naming other Taiwanese staff, including at least one deceased person.
• Taiwan announced a semiconductor export ban to South Africa on Sept 23 citing national and public security, then suspended the measure two days later to allow negotiations.
• China’s Foreign Ministry declined to say whether it pressed Pretoria yet publicly praised South Africa’s adherence to the One China principle.
• Bilateral ties have deteriorated as trade fell by more than a third from US$2.3 billion in 2022 to 2024, while South Africa’s growing reliance on China as its top trading partner shapes its stance on Taiwan.