DA’s Ivan Meyer barred from China, Hong Kong and Macao over Taiwan trip

The Chinese embassy in Pretoria has barred Democratic Alliance Federal Chairperson Ivan Meyer and his family from visiting China, Hong Kong and Macao because he recently visited Taiwan.

The embassy said that it regarded the visit to Taiwan by Meyer, who is also Western Cape MEC for agriculture, economic development and tourism, as “blatantly violating” Beijing’s One China policy.

Meanwhile, the SA Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) this month wrote to the Taiwan representative giving it a new ultimatum to vacate its Pretoria office by the end of March, said diplomats.

Taiwan suspects that the Chinese embassy in Pretoria is putting pressure on the SA government to evict the Taiwan representative.

China evidently believes that the location of the office in South Africa’s administrative capital — alongside the embassies of all the countries that SA recognises diplomatically — implies diplomatic recognition of Taiwan too.

Diplomats have warned that Pretoria’s move against Taiwan has attracted the attention of US President Donald Trump’s new secretary of state, Marco Rubio, a China hawk. Last October — before he became secretary of state — Rubio posted on X: “The South African government is making a grave mistake by caving to Beijing’s demands. South Africa should not fall victim to Communist China’s diplomatic bullying tactics. #ExposingTheCCP”.

Beijing rigorously applies a One China policy, insisting that any country which recognises China must not in any way give diplomatic recognition to Taiwan. At the end of 1997, South Africa switched recognition from Taiwan to China, but formally agreed to allow Taiwan to continue an official presence in Pretoria under the name “Taipei Liaison Office”.

By the same agreement, SA continued to maintain a diplomatic presence in Taipei under the name “Liaison Office of South Africa in Taiwan”.

Taiwan has similar representative offices in the capitals of most countries of the world, including Moscow, New Delhi and Brasilia. But for some reason — Chinese pressure is suspected — the SA government, after accepting this arrangement for more than a quarter of a century, decided last year to instruct Taiwan that it must move out of its Pretoria office and relocate to Johannesburg.

It wrote to Taiwan’s representative ordering him to vacate the Pretoria office by the end of October 2024. Taiwan’s foreign minister, Lin Chia-lung, refused, telling his country’s parliament that “our office is still in operation and will stay in the capital”.

Dirco spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said at the time, “Relocating what will be rebranded as trade offices both in Taipei and in Johannesburg, which is standard diplomatic practice, will be a true reflection of the non-political and non-diplomatic nature of the relationship between the Republic of South Africa and Taiwan.

“The trade office will be appropriately placed in Johannesburg, South Africa’s economic hub. This also aligns with standard diplomatic practice that capital cities are the seats of foreign embassies and high commissions.”

In reality, Taiwan has 113 embassies or representative offices in 71 countries, most of which do not recognise Taiwan diplomatically. All but one of those are in capital cities. Many of those in countries which don’t recognise Taiwan are also called “Taipei Liaison Office” or something similar.

‘Solemn representations’

Meanwhile, on 9 January, the Chinese embassy announced on its website that it had imposed sanctions on Meyer.

It said, “In disregard of China’s solemn representations and strong opposition”, Meyer had recently visited Taiwan, “blatantly violating the one-China principle and grossly interfering in China’s internal affairs.

“In response to Ivan Meyer’s erroneous actions, the Chinese side has decided that, with effect from today, Ivan Meyer and his family members are prohibited from entering the mainland and Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions of China. They are also prohibited from conducting economic and trade exchanges with Chinese citizens and institutions.”

One theory about the Chinese embassy’s heightened sensitivity over anything that might look like recognition of Taiwan is that it is worried by the DA joining the ANC in the Government of National Unity last year. The DA has always been friendly to Taiwan.

Daily Maverick asked Meyer for comment. He said he had not been personally informed of the ban so could not comment.

We also asked Phiri for comment on the letter which Dirco reportedly sent to the Taipei Liaison Office this month giving Taiwan until the end of March to move out of Pretoria.

He had not replied by the time of publication. DM