King Mswati III of Eswatini yesterday pledged to be Taiwan’s friend in “good times and bad times,” as he witnessed the signing of an economic cooperation agreement by representatives of the two countries in Taipei.
The king made the remarks during his formal meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) at the Presidential Office Building, a day after he joined Tsai to observe a portion of the annual Han Kuang military exercises in Taichung.
He arrived on a state visit to Taiwan on Wednesday and is scheduled to depart on Tuesday next week.
Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Taipei Times
Having visited 17 times, the king said he is always warmly received by the Taiwanese government and its people, from whom he intends to learn, as his kingdom is in the process of transforming into a developed country.
Tsai’s administration has demonstrated itself to be an effective team that endeavors to communicate with the public about its policies, the king said.
Although Taiwan’s efforts to contribute to the international community have been restricted, he is confident that “the world will realize one day the things your country has contributed immensely to,” the king said.
He also pledged his allegiance to Taiwan amid reported efforts by China to poach Eswatini — Taiwan’s only remaining African diplomatic ally — before a summit of Chinese and African leaders in Beijing in September alst year.
Late last month, Burkina Faso severed ties with Taiwan and switched recognition to Beijing.
“Coming to our second home, I want to also make the commitment that whatever the challenges, we will always be together. You know we’re friends in good times and in bad times. We will always be friends,” the king said.
In her speech, Tsai expressed gratitude for Eswatini’s long-term support in the international arena.
“Despite the difficulties we face regarding international participation, we have never considered isolationism. We have pledged not to engage in a diplomatic bidding war [with China], but that does not mean we will isolate ourselves from the international community,” she said.
Taiwan has the capacity and the willingness to make a greater contribution to the world, Tsai said, adding that setbacks would only make her nation braver.
The agreement was inked by Minister of Economic Affairs Shen Jong-chin (沈榮津) and Swazi Minister of Commerce and Trade Jabulani Mabuza, with Tsai and the king acting as witnesses.
The agreement calls for stronger cooperation between Taiwan and Eswatini in the areas of economics, trade, technology, investment and environmental protection, and is designed to facilitate a mutually beneficial partnership and improve the welfare of both countries’ people, the Presidential Office said in a news release.
KAOHSIUNG VOTE: A city official allegedly wrote a message calling on supporters of Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu not to participate in the vote next month Prosecutors on Wednesday initiated an investigation of Kaohsiung Civil Affairs Bureau Director-General Tsao Huan-jung (曹桓榮) for allegedly telling supporters of Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) to interfere with a recall vote against Han, while pan-green politicians denounced the mayor and his team for devising ways to obstruct voting. After receiving complaints from residents, the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors’ Office launched its probe of Tsao for alleged breaches of the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法). Complainants provided evidence that Tsao on Saturday last week wrote on messaging app Line that Han supporters should not vote in the June 6 recall vote, saying:
The Taipei Grand Mosque yesterday said its earlier decision to cancel Eid al-Fitr celebrations on Sunday to mark the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan would stand, even though there have been no new domestic cases of COVID-19 in more than a month. It will be the first time in 60 years that the event has not be held at the mosque. The Ministry of Labor had asked all mosques to suspend Eid al-Fitr celebrations and prayers this year, due to COVID-19 concerns, and encouraged Muslims to pray at home. This year Ramadan began on April 23 and is to
BILINGUAL ASSISTANCE: The center launched a chat bot that features Chinese and English interfaces to provide foreigners with instant information about the pandemic The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday said that it would discuss with other nations the possibility of allowing businesspeople to visit on a case-by-case basis. Asked about loosening border restrictions, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said at the daily CECC news briefing that while the center is cautious about opening the nation’s borders, it would aim to diminish obstacles for important trade interactions without risking transmission of the novel coronavirus. Several foreign representatives in Taiwan have expressed an interest in the matter and the center would conduct related negotiations with the help of the
DELUSIONAL: The male patient said he did not know that the woman had mental problems, but the court said that her being restrained in isolation should have given him pause The Taiwan High Court has ordered the Jhudong branch of the Taiwan National University Hospital and a male patient to jointly pay a former female patient’s family NT$400,000 in compensation after the man had sex with the woman, who has mental problems, while hospitalized. The 26-year-old woman has been diagnosed with a mental disorder, a symptom of which is that she obsessively seeks to have sex, her mother said. The mother filed a formal complaint and sought damages from the hospital and the male patient surnamed Chen (陳) after finding out that her daughter had sex with the man while
RSS