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By Chen Yun and Hollie Younger / Staff reporter, with staff writer
President William Lai (賴清德) is to lead a delegation to Eswatini from Wednesday next week to April 27 to celebrate King Mswati III’s 40-year anniversary on the throne, the Presidential Office said today, marking the president’s second overseas trip since taking office in May 2024.
The King is to mark his four decades on the throne with commemorations scheduled for Friday and Saturday next week, which coincide with his 58th birthday.
Lai was personally invited by the King to join the celebrations, Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) told a news conference in Taipei.
Photo: Liao Chen-hui, Taipei Times
Eswatini is Taiwan’s only remaining diplomatic ally in Africa, and one of just 12 worldwide that maintain formal ties with the country.
Lai is to be joined by Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Meng-an (潘孟安) and Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), the office said.
He is to meet with the Queen Mother, hold bilateral talks with the King, sign a joint communique and witness the two foreign ministers sign a customs mutual assistance agreement to further bilateral relations, investment and cooperation, it said.
The delegation is to fly directly to Eswatini and avoid airspace in the Middle East, due to ongoing conflict in the region, it said.
The trip would demonstrate Taiwan’s global engagement and its commitment to diplomatic allies, it added.
Lai’s first trip, from Nov. 30 to Dec. 6, 2024, included visits to Taiwan’s Pacific allies — the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau — as well as transit stops in the US state of Hawaii and the US territory of Guam.
The Eswatini visit is to have three main purposes: security, economics and digital prosperity, the office said.
First, the two sides would promote shared security by building on existing partnerships in agriculture, public health, education, women’s rights and renewable energy, while exploring new areas for cooperation in strategic oil reserves and energy security, Kuo said.
Second, it would boost economic partnerships, as Eswatini is an important member of both the Southern African Customs Union and the African Continental Free Trade Area, she said.
Taiwan plans to build the Taiwan Industrial Innovation Park in Eswatini to promote industrial development, local job creation and technological advancement, while helping Taiwanese businesses to expand globally and connect with African markets, she said.
Last, the trip would build on cooperation in the digital sphere, from smart healthcare to telemedicine and telehealth, so Taiwan can ensure the health and well-being of the citizens of its allies, Kuo added.
Additional reporting by CNA
