TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The King of Eswatini, Mswati III, will visit Taiwan on Thursday (Oct. 20), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced on Tuesday (Oct. 18).
This is the 18th time the king has come to Taiwan and the first time since the pandemic began. His last visit was in 2017, according to the MOFA press release.
The king will be accompanied by his wife, Princess Inkhosikati LaMashwama; Minister of Information, Communication and Technology, Princess Sikhanyiso Dlamini; Minister of Foreign Affairs Thulisile Dladla; Minister of Finance Neal Rijkenburg; Minister of Commerce Manqoba Khumalo; and other ministers.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) will welcome him and his delegation with a grand military salute and a state banquet.
During this trip, King Mswati will hold talks with Ministry of Economic Affairs officials on economic development, investment and trade, and energy infrastructure, MOFA said. The king and his delegation will also visit CPC Corporation’s Taoyuan oil refinery and meet with Eswatini students.
In addition, he will attend a briefing session for Taiwanese businesses on investment, explaining in detail the advantages of doing business in the African nation. During the meeting, manufacturers who have successful operations in Eswatini, such as Tex-Ray Industrial Company, will share their experiences.
Non-governmental industries of the two countries will continue to deepen exchanges and simultaneously explore more mutually beneficial opportunities for cooperation in economy, trade, and investment, MOFA said.
The ministry said Eswatini has continued to speak in support of Taiwan in international forums, including the U.N., the World Health Organization, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and Interpol for many years. The two countries have had long-lasting, close cooperation in the fields of infrastructure, agriculture, medicine and public health, education, and information and communications, it added.
Eswatini is an important ally that resolutely supports Taiwan, and the friendship between the two countries is close and friendly, MOFA said.
