The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is once again lodging a protest with the
South African government after it unilaterally downgraded Taiwan's
representative offices and stepped up efforts to move it out of Pretoria.

This comes after the South African Department of International Relations and
Cooperation announced that Taiwan's mission has been downgraded to the status
of an international organization rather then a full representative office.

The ministry says it is expressing its strong discontent and dissatisfaction
with the latest move by Pretoria, over its bowing to Chinese pressure on the
matter.

Taiwan also says it is preparing retaliatory measures against South Africa.

Earlier this year, South Africa had changed the names of Taiwan's two
representative offices from the Taipei Liaison Office to the Taiwan
Commercial Office in Johannesburg and Taiwan Commercial Office in Cape Town.

The foreign ministry had lodged a protest in March after that move.