The South African government has been urging Taiwan to relocate its office since last year, referencing the "one-China principle" as the basis for its actions.

China expressed its approval on Friday regarding South Africa's decision to expel Taiwan’s representative office from the capital city of Pretoria, according to state media reports.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning remarked, “We appreciate South Africa's correct decision to move,” during a press briefing in Beijing. These remarks followed reports indicating that South Africa has issued an ultimatum to Taiwan, demanding that its office vacate Pretoria by the end of October.

In a statement on Friday, the South African foreign ministry noted that it had provided Taiwan with a “reasonable” six-month timeframe to relocate its “liaison office” to Johannesburg, the country’s commercial center. This decision was communicated to Chinese officials last month by South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola during his visit to China for the China-Africa summit, according to the ministry.

South Africa formally severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan, which China claims sovereignty over, in 1997. However, the nation maintains an unofficial diplomatic relationship with Taiwan, a status shared by numerous other countries. South Africa has been advocating for Taiwan to move its office since last year, referencing UN Resolution 2758 and the "one-China principle" as justifications for this action.

Mao reiterated that “the one-China principle is a universally recognized norm in international relations and reflects the will of the international community and the trend of the times.” China regards Taiwan as a “breakaway province” and expects its diplomatic allies to refrain from engaging in any official contact with Taipei. Despite Taipei’s longstanding insistence on its independence since 1949, the number of countries maintaining formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan has dwindled to just 12 this year.

Mao further asserted, “The pursuit of ‘Taiwan independence’ is doomed to fail.”

Taiwan has sought assistance from G7 nations in an effort to counter Pretoria's plans, but has yet to find success. In response, Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung has directed his ministry to explore “appropriate responses,” including a potential request for South Africa to relocate its office in Taipei.

In a related development, China and South Africa recently elevated their bilateral relationship to an “all-round strategic cooperative partnership.”