South Africa Acting as China's Proxy to Punish Taiwan

The maximum pressure campaign by China to ensure countries do not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan has taken a dark turn. South Africa, already receiving the negative attention of President Donald Trump, is the first country seeking to force an informal Taiwan Representative Office from a capital city.

The Taiwan Representative Office has served the role of the informal Embassy of Taiwan since South Africa changed formal recognition to China in 1997. Taiwan has been told recently to move their office out of Pretoria, reopening a multi-year effort by the South African government now led by President Cyril Ramaphosa.