King Mswati III of Eswatini, Taiwan’s only diplomatic ally in Africa, concluded his 18th visit to Taiwan on Tuesday, setting a “new landmark” in the 54-year diplomatic relation between the two countries, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).

Mswati, who arrived in Taiwan last Thursday for a six-day state visit, achieved significant progress in advancing cooperation and amicable relations between the two nations during the trip, the ministry said in a statement.

MOFA said President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) met with Mswati and his delegation last Friday and hosted a welcome ceremony with military honors for them which was followed by bilateral talks.

Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) and Eswatini Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Thulisile Dladla then signed a joint declaration, witnessed by Tsai and Mswati, with Eswatini reiterating its firm support for Taiwan to participate in international events.

In the joint statement, the two countries pledged to deepen bilateral cooperation in several economic development fields, MOFA said.

According to MOFA, during his stay King Mswati III attended a banquet hosted by Wu in his honor, and met with Economics Minister Wang Mei-hua (王美花) to exchange views on expanding economic, trade, investment, and business cooperation.

On Monday, the delegation held a seminar in Taipei on investment and trade opportunities in Eswatini which was hosted by Mswati and attended by almost 100 Taiwanese businesses.

The delegation also visited the Taoyuan refinery of state-run oil company CPC Corp., Taiwan that same day, MOFA said.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel