President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is to visit Eswatini next month to celebrate the 55th anniversary of the independence of Taiwan’s African diplomatic ally, the government announced yesterday, adding it is pure coincidence that the trip coincides with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) visit to South Africa this week for the BRICS summit.
This year marks the 55th anniversary of Eswatini’s independence, the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Taiwan and its only remaining diplomatic ally in Africa, and the 55th birthday of King Mswati III of Eswatini, Presidential Office spokeswoman Olivia Lin (林聿禪) told a news conference.
As a solid ally, Eswatini has long spoken out for Taiwan in the international arena and strongly supports its meaningful participation in international organizations, Lin said.
Photo: CNA
The two countries have cooperated closely in key areas such as infrastructure, public health, education, information and communications, and agriculture and food security, she said.
Mswati III has visited Taiwan 18 times since he took the throne in 1986, which demonstrates the close and friendly relationship between the two sides, she said.
At the invitation of Mswati III, Tsai is to lead a delegation to visit Eswatini from Sept. 5 to 8 to show that Taiwan values the firm friendship with Eswatini and to bolster bilateral cooperation, Lin said.
On her second trip to Eswatini as president, Tsai is to meet the king on the day she arrives, Lin said.
The delegation is to participate in independence celebrations on Sept. 6 and attend a state banquet held by Mswati III at night, she said.
Before returning to Taiwan on Sept. 7, Tsai is to meet with Queen Mother Ntombi Tfwala as well as Taiwanese medical and technical missions, Lin said.
Tsai is also to learn about the implementation of cooperation programs between Taiwan and Eswatini in public healthcare and women’s empowerment, she said.
In addition to celebrating the ties between the two nations, Tsai hopes that the trip heralds sustainable cooperation on the basis of mutual assistance and mutual benefit that contribute to the well-being of people on both sides, Lin said.
Other delegation members are to include Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花), Overseas Community Affairs Council Minister Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青), Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang (張惇涵) and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Roy Chun Lee (李淳), Lin said.
Asked whether Tsai’s trip is intended to show “a sign of rivalry” between Taiwan and China, as Xi arrived in South Africa on Monday to attend the BRICS summit, Lee replied that the two leaders visiting Africa so close together was a coincidence.
Eswatini’s Independence Day falls on Sept. 6, so Tsai’s trip is arranged accordingly, he said.
As for why Chen is to join the delegation, Lee said that Taiwan not only cooperates with Eswatini at the federal level, but also promotes cooperation between local governments.
Chen is to sign an agreement formalizing sister city relations between Kaohsiung and Mbabane, the country’s capital, the city said in a press release yesterday.
The city sees considerable potential to strengthen cooperation with Mbabane in bilingual education, teachers and youth exchanges, and smart agriculture, it said.
‘CORRECT IDENTIFICATION’: Beginning in May, Taiwanese married to Japanese can register their home country as Taiwan in their spouse’s family record, ‘Nikkei Asia’ said The government yesterday thanked Japan for revising rules that would allow Taiwanese nationals married to Japanese citizens to list their home country as “Taiwan” in the official family record database. At present, Taiwanese have to select “China.” Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said the new rule, set to be implemented in May, would now “correctly” identify Taiwanese in Japan and help protect their rights, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The statement was released after Nikkei Asia reported the new policy earlier yesterday. The name and nationality of a non-Japanese person marrying a Japanese national is added to the
AT RISK: The council reiterated that people should seriously consider the necessity of visiting China, after Beijing passed 22 guidelines to punish ‘die-hard’ separatists The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has since Jan. 1 last year received 65 petitions regarding Taiwanese who were interrogated or detained in China, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. Fifty-two either went missing or had their personal freedoms restricted, with some put in criminal detention, while 13 were interrogated and temporarily detained, he said in a radio interview. On June 21 last year, China announced 22 guidelines to punish “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists,” allowing Chinese courts to try people in absentia. The guidelines are uncivilized and inhumane, allowing Beijing to seize assets and issue the death penalty, with no regard for potential
STILL COMMITTED: The US opposes any forced change to the ‘status quo’ in the Strait, but also does not seek conflict, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said US President Donald Trump’s administration released US$5.3 billion in previously frozen foreign aid, including US$870 million in security exemptions for programs in Taiwan, a list of exemptions reviewed by Reuters showed. Trump ordered a 90-day pause on foreign aid shortly after taking office on Jan. 20, halting funding for everything from programs that fight starvation and deadly diseases to providing shelters for millions of displaced people across the globe. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has said that all foreign assistance must align with Trump’s “America First” priorities, issued waivers late last month on military aid to Israel and Egypt, the
‘UNITED FRONT’ FRONTS: Barring contact with Huaqiao and Jinan universities is needed to stop China targeting Taiwanese students, the education minister said Taiwan has blacklisted two Chinese universities from conducting academic exchange programs in the nation after reports that the institutes are arms of Beijing’s United Front Work Department, Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) said in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) published yesterday. China’s Huaqiao University in Xiamen and Quanzhou, as well as Jinan University in Guangzhou, which have 600 and 1,500 Taiwanese on their rolls respectively, are under direct control of the Chinese government’s political warfare branch, Cheng said, citing reports by national security officials. A comprehensive ban on Taiwanese institutions collaborating or
RSS