ActionSA has called for South Africa to respect the sovereignty of Taiwan and China and said the South African government must to resist attempts by “foreign powers to dictate its foreign policy”.

This comes after the South African government asked Taiwan to relocate its representative out of Pretoria.

Taiwan said it would not do so and accused Beijing of pressuring South Africa to ask for a relocation.

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation said relocating what would be rebranded as Trade Offices in Taipei and in Johannesburg, was standard diplomatic practice, and would "be a true reflection of the non-political and non-diplomatic nature of the relationship between the Republic of South Africa and Taiwan.”

ActionSA said government, to embody the leadership of former President Nelson Mandela, who had on many occasions firmly asserted South Africa’s independence of the US and China, must stand its ground against China.

“In the spirit of Mandela, South Africa committed to respecting the sovereignty of both the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Mandela’s astute leadership and positioning ensured that, while recognising the complexities of the global arena, South Africa’s foreign policy would be crafted at home, guided by human rights, a spirit of global cooperation, and sovereign independence,” said ActionSA spokesperson Lerato Ngobeni.

She said democratic South Africa’s founding values must be restored and strengthened and cautioned against South Africa being “ blackmailed” into adopting global positions outside of its interests.

“ActionSA believes that the South African government must refrain from capitulating to any foreign power, specifically China in this instance, regarding how to treat its diplomatic guests, namely the Taiwanese. While we acknowledge the presence of many conflicting interests, our foreign policy and global positioning cannot be dictated by any foreign power wielding undue influence over us,” she said.