Taiwan to close down its consulate in Colon

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had previously announced that offices in Venezuela, Bolivia and Bangladesh would be shut down, but Ou added the consulate-general in Colon, Panama, and the liaison office in Johannesburg, South Africa to the list Saturday. Taiwan currently has 121 offices around the world, a number that Ou admitted was too high in light of the country's small size. Among the many reasons to shut down the selected offices are the unfriendly attitude of the concerned countries toward Taiwan or the existence of more than one office within close proximity, Ou said.

In the case of the Johannesburg office, it is only about a 10-minute drive from Taiwan's main South African mission located in Pretoria, the minister said. A similar situation exists between the Colon consulate-general and the country's embassy in Panama, he added.

Ou stressed that the measures are aimed at ensuring an efficient use of diplomatic resources.