Eswatini’s new Prime Minister Russell Dlamini reaffirmed the kingdom’s 50- plus-year diplomatic ties with Taiwan in a meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in Taipei yesterday. Dlamini said he wanted to make it clear that diplomatic relations with Taiwan remained a top priority for the government of Eswatini and the country’s ruler, King Mswati III. He also wished to use his first visit as prime minister to thank Taiwan for assisting the Kingdom of Eswatini. Eswatini is "grateful" and committed to a "strategic partnership" with Taiwan, as well as the country’s vision and technical support, Dlamini said. Dlamini, who was appointed to office on Nov. 3, 2023, said he would also use his first trip to Taiwan as prime minister to meet with Taiwanese engineers helping build an oil storage tank in Eswatini. During the meeting at the Presidential Office, Tsai welcomed Dlamini, who serves as an adviser to King Mswati III. "I am confident that this trip will enable you to experience Taiwan’s rich culture and further deepen our bilateral friendship," Tsai said. Tsai told Dlamini’s delegation that she witnessed the signing of three MOUs during her last trip to Eswatini in September 2023. Among these was an agreement to help the Eswantini build an oil storage tank capable of holding 30 days of reserves, according to Taiwan’s government. Tsai also thanked the Dlamini for supporting Taiwan’s participation during the 28th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP28) held in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, in December 2023. During his COP28 address, Dlamini said all countries should be part of the agreements and commitments on climate action. "If countries like Taiwan have voluntarily committed for the sake of the planet and people without being a party to the negotiations, then the rest of us can," Dlamini said, adding that Eswatini calls for Taiwan’s formal inclusion in future COP meetings. Dlamini arrived in Taiwan on Monday, together with Eswatini’s Minister of Natural Resources and Energy Prince Lonkhokhela and Prime Minister’s Office Principal Secretary Bertram Stewart, among others. Eswatini is one of 12 states worldwide and the last in Africa to maintain diplomatic relations with the Republic of China, Taiwan’s official name.
Photo: CNA
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
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Representative to the US Alexander Yui delivered a letter from the government to US president-elect Donald Trump during a meeting with a former Trump administration official, CNN reported yesterday. Yui on Thursday met with former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien over a private lunch in Salt Lake City, Utah, with US Representative Chris Stewart, the Web site of the US cable news channel reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “During that lunch the letter was passed along, and then shared with Trump, two of the sources said,” CNN said. O’Brien declined to comment on the lunch, as did the Taipei
A woman who allegedly attacked a high-school student with a utility knife, injuring his face, on a Taipei metro train late on Friday has been transferred to prosecutors, police said yesterday. The incident occurred near MRT Xinpu Station at about 10:17pm on a Bannan Line train headed toward Dingpu, New Taipei City police said. Before police arrived at the station to arrest the suspect, a woman surnamed Wang (王) who is in her early 40s, she had already been subdued by four male passengers, one of whom was an off-duty Taipei police officer, police said. The student, 17, who sustained a cut about
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