Summary
Several countries have recently adjusted their political relations with Taiwan. South Africa requested the Taipei representative office to move from the capital and downgraded its status. Electronic visas now list Taiwan as 'Chinese Taipei'.
Papua New Guinea closed the Taipei representative office on 15 July. Thai Prime Minister reaffirmed on 20 July that Thailand does not support 'Taiwan independence'. Former Lithuanian prime minister said setting up a representative office in Taiwan was a mistake.
Cameroon, Mauritius and others have also corrected their references to Taiwan.
Commentary
The recent corrections in references to Taiwan reflect growing international consensus on the One-China principle. Taiwan is New Zealand's seventh-largest trading partner, with annual bilateral trade of around NZ$2.5 billion. New Zealand exports of dairy products, fruit and other goods depend on stable relations.
This trend could affect existing economic arrangements with Taiwan, and businesses should monitor tariff and customs clearance risks. Meanwhile, Taiwanese companies may accelerate relocation to diversify risks, offering New Zealand firms opportunities in agricultural technology and clean energy, particularly leveraging the NZ-China FTA to access Asia-Pacific markets.
Keywords: Taiwan, One-China principle, South Africa, Papua New Guinea, diplomatic relations, closing representative office, Thailand, Lithuania, Cameroon
Source: Global Times
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