TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan’s representative office in South Africa is operating normally, despite a deadline to move from the capital of Pretoria to Johannesburg, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday.

The South African government ordered the change in October but later expressed willingness to discuss the issue. In January, it set the end of March as the new deadline.

The ministry was discussing the state of the relationship with the South African government, the Liberty Times reported. According to the ministry’s Department of West Asian and African Affairs Deputy Director General Chen Yung-po (陳詠博), bilateral talks focused on the legal framework, the nature of changes, the location for talks, the membership of delegations, and the way an agreement could be signed.

As the host country for this year’s G20 summit of major economies, South Africa should not break international rules, Chen told a weekly news briefing. He also pointed out that the US State Department and the American Institute in Taiwan have expressed concern about the South African government unilaterally changing its use of the name of Taiwan’s mission from “Taipei Liaison Office” to “Taipei Commercial Office.”

He called on South Africa to reach a consensus instead of unilaterally violating the existing agreement signed in 1997. If necessary, Taiwan would take appropriate measures based on reciprocity, Chen said.