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By Andy Liu
President of Taiwan, Dr. Ing-Wen Tsai will on Tuesday embark on a four-day official visit to the Kingdom of Eswatini (former Swaziland).
This will be President Tsai’s second visit to the Kingdom after her first trip in April 2018. The visit is to re-affirm Taiwan’s value of Africa and its willingness to forge stronger ties with the continent.
Therefore, essence of President Tsai’s visit is to showcasing how Taiwan has valued the partnership with the people and government of the Kingdom in sustainable development, economic and social advancement, education and public health improvement, as well as medical standards uplifting as a whole.
Also, the visit is to demonstrate the true meaning of equal partnership and mutual respect between nations, and how mutually beneficial relations can flourish and grow in the long run.
President Tsai is visiting the Kingdom at a time it is agog with very important national celebrations. She will be the Kingdom’s special guest at the 55th birthday anniversary of King Mswati III. Interestingly, the King’s 55th birthday ceremony coincided with the 55th anniversary of Taiwan and Eswatini diplomatic alliance and, also, the Kingdom’s independence anniversary. The people and government of the Kingdom have repeatedly said they were staying with Taiwan for “diplomatic and political morality.”
Other engagements of the Taiwanese leader include the tour of Taiwan’s funded development cooperation projects in the Kingdom. Taiwan has set up outstanding technical and medical teams to establish and oversee various development projects to help the government and people of Eswatini advance.
President Tsai will make the on the spot assessment of the performance and the overall achievement of projects such as the Medical and Public Health Centers and the Capacity Building and Vocational Training Institute. She is also expected to interact and exchange development ideas with various groups including the business community, community leaders, women groups, the youth and representatives of the Kingdom’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry among others.
The international community has long regarded Taiwan as “Force of Good”. With the outstanding results from Taiwan’s assistance to the Kingdom of Eswatini, Taiwanese style of offering what is best for our international partners in developing their countries would be most self-evident in Africa.
Fruitful and concrete development cooperation endeavours in the Kingdom have demonstrated how Taiwan cherishes her relationship with other countries. With various aspects of technical assistance covering medical, public health, agriculture, education, vocational trainings, etc., Taiwan has not only expressing love for the people but also offering substantial and responsible support to the Kingdom over several decades till now.
The Kingdom of Eswatini has always been a strong supporter of Taiwan’s sovereignty and endeavours for participating in international organizations, so that Taiwan’s democracy and strength of successful economic development as well as technological advancement would be seen and valued by the world. This is a true demonstration of unwavering friendship and support to each other in the relations between the two countries.
This gracious visit of President Tsai to the Kingdom once again demonstrates Taiwan’s goodwill and support to her African partners and friends and it will definitely strengthen Taiwan’s commitment to assisting other African nations in their socio-economic development and growth.
Certainly, no matter the challenge or struggles against oppression Taiwan is facing and no matter the geographical distance between Taiwan and Eswatini, the visit will symbolize how true friends’ value each other dearly with strong commitments of mutual support.
• Liu is the Representative and Chief of Taiwan Mission in Nigeria
