Formed 1998 | Headquarters Hatfield, Pretoria | |
Jurisdiction South Africa (excluding provinces of Western Cape, Northern Cape and Eastern Cape)
Mauritius
Madagascar
Seychelles
Réunion
Comoros
Kenya
Uganda
Malawi
Tanzania
Zambia
Somalia
Rwanda
Burundi
Eritrea
Angola
Zimbabwe
Botswana
Lesotho Agency executive John C. Chen, Representative Website Taipei Liaison Office in the Republic of South Africa | ||
The Taipei Liaison Office in the Republic of South Africa (Chinese: 駐南非共和國台北聯絡代表處; pinyin: Zhù Nánfēi Gònghéguó Táiběi Liánluò Dàibiǎo Chù) represents the interests of Taiwan in South Africa in the absence of formal diplomatic relations, functioning as a de facto embassy. Its counterpart in Taiwan is the Liaison Office of the Republic of South Africa in Taipei. It has two offices, one in Pretoria and the other in Cape Town.
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The Office was formerly the Embassy of the Republic of China. However, when South Africa recognised the People's Republic of China, its diplomatic relations with Taiwan were terminated. This led to the establishment of the Office in 1998.
The Office is headed by a Representative, currently John C. Chen.
It has responsibility for the provinces of Gauteng, Limpopo Province, North-West Province, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Free State.
Other African countries
The Office has responsibility for the interests of Taiwan in other African countries, such as Mauritius, Madagascar, Seychelles, Comoros, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, Somalia, Rwanda, Burundi, Eritrea, Angola, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Lesotho, as well as the French overseas region of Réunion.
Taiwan previously had diplomatic relations with Malawi, and was represented in the country by the Embassy of the Republic of China in Lilongwe. Lesotho, which established relations with Taipei in 1966, similarly switched recognition to Beijing in 1983.
Other Taipei Liaison Offices in South Africa
There is also a Taipei Liaison Office in Cape Town. This has responsibility for the provinces of Western Cape, Northern Cape and Eastern Cape as well as Namibia.
There was also a Taipei Liaison Office in Johannesburg, which functioned as a de facto consulate. This was formerly the Consulate-General of the Republic of China. However, owing to financial considerations and the city's proximity to Pretoria, it was closed in 2009.
A Liaison Office was also established in Durban, but has since closed. Prior to the ending of diplomatic relations, this had been a Consulate General.