CAPE TOWN, South Africa — South Africa has formally requested that Taiwan relocate its unofficial embassy from the administrative capital of Pretoria, a decision perceived as a gesture towards its ally, China.

The South African foreign ministry announced on Friday that Taiwan has been provided with a “reasonable” period of six months to move its “liaison office” to Johannesburg, the country’s main commercial center. This decision was relayed to Chinese officials by South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola during his recent visit to China for the China-Africa summit last month.

Since 1997, South Africa has officially maintained no diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a self-governing entity that China asserts control over. However, unofficial diplomatic dealings remain intact, a common arrangement for numerous countries around the world.

This directive coincides with escalating tensions between China and Taiwan. Taiwan recently marked the anniversary of its government’s establishment and its national day, reiterating its opposition to China’s sovereignty claims. In response, China conducted extensive military drills in the vicinity of Taiwan.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning expressed gratitude towards South Africa for its “correct” decision to transfer the Taipei liaison office from Pretoria, stating that Taiwan independence is widely seen as undesirable and bound to fail.

In reaction to this development, Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Lin Chia-long indicated that Taiwan might contemplate shutting down South Africa’s liaison office in Taiwan, which would significantly hamper numerous avenues for travel, trade, and educational exchanges between the two regions.

Both China and South Africa are active participants in the BRICS coalition, which consists of emerging economies, and are scheduled to convene for their annual summit in Kazan, Russia, next week. Notably, China stands as South Africa’s primary trading partner.

The South African foreign ministry commented that relocating the Taiwan office from Pretoria embodies a true representation of the non-political and non-diplomatic nature of its relations with Taiwan, indicating that the office will be reclassified as a “trade office.”