Fri, Sep 08, 2023 page3

• Tsai eyes century-long Eswatini ties

  ‘WARM FRIENDSHIP’: President Tsai said she felt at home in Eswatini and the two countries’ partnership ‘has been the epitome of progress and development’

  • By Liu Tzu-hsuan / Staff reporter
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  President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) wished Taiwan and the Kingdom of Eswatini would continue to support each other toward reaching the milestone for a century-long friendship at the celebration ceremony of the 55th anniversary of Taiwan’s African diplomatic ally’s independence on Wednesday.

  Tsai, together with guests including former Botswanan president Ian Khama, former South African president Jacob Zuma and Basotho King Letsie III, attended the ceremony to celebrate the country’s independence and King Mswati III of Eswatini’s 55th birthday.

  It was a big day for both Eswatini and Taiwan, as the day also marked the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two sides, Tsai said.

  

  President Tsai Ing-wen speaks at the celebration of the 55th anniversary of Eswatini’s independence in Mbabane on Wednesday.

  Photo: CNA

  “History brought us together and our warm friendship and mutual goodwill have kept us together these 55 years,” she said.

  Mswati III once said that Taiwan had become a “home away from home” for him and the people of Eswatini, she said, adding that she also felt at home in Eswatini.

  The partnership between Taiwan and Eswatini “has been the epitome of progress and development,” she said.

  The two sides collaborated on rural electrification, helping 82 percent of the people in the African country gain access to electricity, the second-highest penetration rate in Africa, she said.

  “I am confident of an even brighter future for Eswatini,” she added.

  It is great to see many young students from Eswatini studying in universities in Taiwan and later returning to Eswatini to contribute to their society and help cultivate the next generation of talents, Tsai said.

  On gender equality and women’s empowerment, issues that Eswatini Queen Mother Ntombi Tfwala cares a lot about, Taiwan and Eswatini signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation on women’s empowerment in 2019 and Taiwan is to help launch a “Women Business Startup Microfinance Revolving Fund” to help uplift the women in Eswatini, Tsai said.

  Mswati III said that the greatest blessing of his country is peace, adding that he hopes people can resolve conflicts and promote peace by putting aside their differences and discussing their ideas peacefully.

  He called on Eswatini’s international partners to support his country in the pursuit of its continued development, especially in education, social welfare and healthcare services.

  Separately, Eswatini Minister of Health Lizzie Nkosi said that it is unreasonable to exclude Taiwan from the WHO, while Tsai hoped the world could see Taiwan’s contribution to public health during her visit to the Mbabane Government Hospital on Wednesday night.

  Tsai was accompanied by Nkosi and hospital superintendent Thando Tembe on a tour of the hospital, whose reconstruction Taiwan and Eswatini cooperated on, to learn about its operation.

  This reconstruction plan is an example that “Taiwan can help,” as the country provided its best medical expertise and engineering technology to help improve people’s lives, Tsai said.

  Tsai thanked the Taiwanese medical mission based in Eswatini, which is led by the Taipei Medical University Hospital and Cheng Wen-hsuan (鄭文炫), to overcome the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

  For the past 14 years, the mission has been helping at two hospitals and providing outpatient services at three locations in Eswatini as well as offering free medical consultation services nationwide, she said.

  She believed that the fruitful results of the cooperation could let the world see the positive sides of making friends with Taiwan and the country’s commitment to contributing to the world.

  Nkosi said that the ministry has long been working with Taiwan’s mission, including launching plans to promote maternal healthcare and national healthcare.

  The two sides plan to further cooperate in medical information systems and chronic disease prevention and treatment, she added.

  Eswatini would continue to support Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the WHO and other international mechanisms as “Taiwan can definitely contribute to the world,” Nkosi said.

  “Taiwan has rich and good experiences in public health and healthcare, so it is unreasonable that it is unable to participate [in the WHO],” Nkosi said.
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