BY SIFISO NHLABATSI
MBABANE – Taiwan has expressed heartfelt appreciation to His Majesty King Mswati III for using the United Nations General Assembly platform to speak in support of Taiwan’s participation in the international community.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te used his X social media account to thank the King for what he described as Eswatini’s long-standing and steadfast support, saying Taiwan remained ready to share its expertise and work with countries around the world towards a sustainable future.
The appreciation followed His Majesty’s address to the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he highlighted Taiwan’s contribution to global supply chains and its potential role in addressing international development challenges.
His Majesty called on the United Nations to explore appropriate mechanisms that would allow Taiwan to participate substantively in UN meetings and activities, enabling it to share its expertise and engage with international partners.
The King’s intervention comes as Eswatini continues to maintain close diplomatic relations with Taiwan, with the two countries marking 58 years of bilateral ties this year. Taiwan remains Eswatini’s sole diplomatic partner on the African continent.
The relationship has also seen renewed high-level engagement this year. President Lai visited Eswatini in May, while Deputy Prime Minister Thulisile Dladla was in Taiwan earlier this month for engagements focused on strengthening cooperation.
During Dladla’s visit, Taiwan highlighted possible areas for deeper collaboration, including industry, public health, talent development and disaster management. Eswatini is also a founding member of the World Alliance for Disaster Management, an initiative through which Taiwan says it will share disaster prevention, response and rescue expertise.
Lai recently said Taiwan hoped to work with Eswatini and other international partners to make greater contributions to the global community.
The King’s latest UN intervention comes against the backdrop of increasingly active bilateral engagement between the two countries.
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