King Mswati III of Eswatini, the nation’s only diplomatic ally in Africa, is tomorrow arriving in Taiwan on his 18th visit to the nation, but his first since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is to welcome King Mswati III with a military salute and host a state banquet, and the king and his delegation are to meet with Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), the ministry said in a statement.
The king is to be accompanied by Eswatini’s Queen Inkhosikati LaMashwama and Princess Sikhanyiso Dlamini, as well as Swazi Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Thulisile Dladla, Minister of Finance Neal Rijkenberg, and Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade Manqoba Khumalo.
Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Taipei Times
The king and his delegation are to be in contact with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and hold a business seminar to attract Taiwanese investors to the African kingdom.
Other activities scheduled are a visit to the Taoyuan refinery of state-run oil company CPC Corp, Taiwan and a meeting with Swazi students in Taiwan, the ministry said.
It did not disclose how long the king would be staying.
The visit marks King Mswati III’s 18th trip to Taiwan since taking the throne in 1986. He last visited in June 2018.
The two countries have maintained close ties since diplomatic relations were established in 1968, the ministry said, adding that Eswatini has always being a strong supporter of Taiwan’s efforts to gain meaningful participation in the UN, the WHO, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the International Civil Aviation Organization.
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