Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced that it has asked the Ministry of Economic Affairs to suspend plans for new export controls on technology shipments to South Africa, after Pretoria agreed to engage in talks over a year-long dispute concerning Taiwan’s representative office in the country.
The economics ministry had earlier this week signaled that it would impose restrictions requiring prior approval for 47 products, including integrated circuits and chips, bound for South Africa starting in late November. The measure was intended as a counter-response to Pretoria’s repeated moves to downgrade and rename Taiwan’s representative offices, widely viewed in Taipei as being carried out under pressure from Beijing.
However, following consultations with MOFA, the ministry decided not to submit the official notice for Cabinet publication, effectively pausing the rollout of the controls. Instead, it posted the proposed notice only on its internal bulletin system.
The dispute stems from South Africa’s unilateral decision last year to reclassify Taiwan’s Taipei Liaison Office in Pretoria as a “trade office” and relocate it to Johannesburg. Pretoria also renamed Taiwan’s branch office in Cape Town as the “Taipei Commercial Office.” In both cases, the offices were categorized as “international organizations” rather than official foreign representations.
Despite these moves, Taiwan’s offices in Pretoria and Cape Town continue normal operations and services. Taipei has strongly protested the changes, accusing Beijing of pressuring South Africa under the “one China” principle and citing UN Resolution 2758, which recognized the People’s Republic of China as the sole representative of China at the UN but does not mention Taiwan.
MOFA said the suspension of export restrictions demonstrates Taiwan’s goodwill and its willingness to resolve the dispute through dialogue, while safeguarding its interests and international presence.