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.
OVERHAUL NEEDED: The government should improve its agricultural processing capabilities and expand to new markets to limit its reliance on China, an expert said China’s ban on Taiwanese pineapples was “unsurprising,” and Taiwan should have years ago altered its produce export strategies and target customers, experts said. China on Friday abruptly suspended imports of pineapples from Taiwan, saying that it had on multiple occasions discovered “harmful biological entities” on the fruit. Calling it an “unfriendly” move, the Council of Agriculture (COA) said that 99.79 percent of the pineapples sent to China since last year have met China’s import standards. Chiao Chun (焦鈞), the author of Fruits and Politics — A Recollection of Cross-strait Agricultural Interaction Over the Past Decade (水果政治學：兩岸農業交流十年回顧與展望), said that China’s announcement is clearly targeting
DECADES OF INFLUENCE: Over the past 20 years, China has made inroads with Aborigines, funding political campaigns and trips, a legislator said Lawmakers have called on the National Security Bureau to investigate claims of pervasive Chinese influence among Aboriginal communities. Legislators pointed to a surge in communist propaganda and Chinese-funded projects over the past few years, which they say are aimed at infiltrating and buying political influence among Aboriginal communities. “China has for decades carried out wide-ranging ‘united front’ tactics and propaganda campaigns targeting Aborigines,” said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Ying (陳瑩), a member of the Puyuma community in Taitung County. “Now, they are influencing elections for local councilors and village chiefs, offering money for candidates to mount their campaigns, and to
DISSATISFACTION? If the referendums collect more than 700,000 signatures each, they would have gotten the most signatures in the shortest time, the party said The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) two referendum petitions — one on banning the importation of pork with traces of ractopamine and the other on holding referendums on the same day as national elections — had as of Thursday gathered 691,398 and 674,497 signatures respectively, the party said yesterday. If the petitions collect more than 700,000 signatures apiece, they would have garnered the most signatures in the shortest time since the Referendum Act (公民投票法) was amended in 2017, party officials said. The KMT proposed the “anti-ractopamine pork” or “food safety” referendum just days after President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) announcement on Aug. 28 last
Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) early yesterday morning set off on his third one-day cycling trip from Taipei to Kaohsiung, but had to cut the journey short after arriving in Changhua about three hours behind schedule. Ko finished his first 520km “twin-tower” cycling trip from the nation’s northernmost Fuguijiao Lighthouse (富貴角燈塔) in Keelung to the southernmost Oluanpi Lighthouse (鵝鑾鼻燈塔) in Pingtung County on Feb. 28, 2016. On his second run, on Feb. 28, 2019, Ko only rode from Taipei to Hsinchu, returned to Taipei for a ceremony, and later continued the trip from Tainan. The Taipei Department of Sports said that the city
RSS