National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) this week visited the Kingdom of Eswatini to inspect security arrangements ahead of President William Lai’s (賴清德) upcoming state visit to the African ally, the bureau said yesterday.
Tsai met with King Mswati III to convey Lai’s regards ahead of upcoming celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of the king’s accession to the throne.
The king welcomed Lai’s participation in the celebrations and said that the presidential visit highlights solid diplomatic ties between the two nations, the bureau said.
Photo courtesy of the National Security Bureau
The trip would allow Lai to witness the progress of major Taiwan-backed infrastructure projects, including the Taiwan Industrial Innovation Park and strategic oil reserve facilities, it cited the king as saying.
Both initiatives are currently being implemented, and aim to boost Eswatini’s economic development and energy security, the bureau said.
Tsai also met with Eswatini Deputy Prime Minister Thulisile Dladla, who thanked Taiwan for sharing critical criminal intelligence and providing capacity-building training for local forces, the bureau added.
Eswatini dismantled a large-scale transnational fraud syndicate, arresting about 200 Chinese nationals, it cited Dladla as saying.
The incident, which drew serious concerns and investigators from Interpol, has significantly impacted security across several African nations, she said.
In response, Tsai underscored the need to expand bilateral cooperation, deepen security partnerships and foster intelligence exchanges to jointly combat international crime and illegal Chinese infiltration, the bureau said.
Tsai held further discussions with Eswatini’s security and police chiefs to finalize protective deployments for Lai’s visit.
With heads of state and dignitaries from more than 10 countries expected to attend the celebrations, diplomatic protocols and security planning are more complex than previous years, it said.
Eswatini authorities are committed to supporting the bureau to ensure the safety and success of Lai’s first presidential visit to the African continent, the bureau added.
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