South Africa Faces Potential Chip Restrictions as Taiwan Responds to Diplomatic Downgrade
The move is intended to safeguard national sovereignty and dignity, according to Philippe Yen, MOFA's director-general for the Department of West Asian and African Affairs.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced that it is considering restricting semiconductor exports to South Africa. The potential sanctions are in direct response to what Taiwan’s government described as a crude downgrade of its diplomatic presence in the country. The move is intended to safeguard national sovereignty and dignity, according to Philippe Yen, MOFA’s director-general for the Department of West Asian and African Affairs. The specific types of chips and the duration of any restrictions are still being finalized.
The dispute was triggered by South Africa’s issuance of an official notice on July 21, which formalized the renaming of Taiwan’s representative offices as Taipei Commercial Office missions. The South African government cited its one China policy and United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 as the basis for the action. The notice also reiterated a demand for Taiwan to relocate its representative office from the capital, Pretoria, to Johannesburg. While Taiwan produces the majority of the world’s advanced semiconductors, it is not considered a significant supplier of chips to South Africa.
According to MOFA, this latest action follows a series of previous moves, including two prior requests for Taiwan to move its offices and a name change on the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) website in March. Taiwan’s government views the decision as a sign of intensified pressure from Beijing, noting that it came shortly after South African Vice President Paul Mashatile’s visit to China in mid-July. Taiwan has been trying to engage in negotiations with South Africa since October 2024 to no avail.
In its defense, DIRCO issued a statement claiming that relocating and rebranding the Taipei offices was standard diplomatic practice and a true reflection of the nonpolitical and nondiplomatic nature of the relationship between the Republic of South Africa and Taiwan. Despite the ongoing dispute, Yen confirmed that operations at Taiwan’s two offices in South Africa remain normal for now.
This video provides an overview of the diplomatic situation between South Africa and Taiwan, including the decision to rename the offices and the potential for a chip ban.
